Yearly Archives: 2013

Q: What makes natural logarithms natural? What’s so special about the number e?

Posted on January 7, 2013 by The Physicist

Physicist: “e” shows up on its own a lot, and the frequent appearance of the natural log, ““, follows from that.  Almost all of the uses and importance of e and ln are from results in calculus, but those results … Continue reading →

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Math | 10 Comments

Q: If the world were to stop spinning, would the people and everything on it be considered ‘lighter’ or ‘heavier’? Would any change take place? And does centrifugal force have an effect on gravity?

Posted on January 2, 2013 by The Physicist

Physicist: Centrifugal force* due to the spinning of the Earth is certainly a measurable effect, but it’s a small effect.  While the spinning of the Earth doesn’t directly affect gravity, it does off-set it a little.  At the north and … Continue reading →

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Physics | 72 Comments