Monthly Archives: July 2015

Q: When you write a fraction with a prime denominator in decimal form it repeats every p-1 digits. Why?

Posted on July 23, 2015 by The Physicist

The original question was: How come the length of the repetend for some fractions (e.g. having a prime number p as a denominator) is equal to p-1? Physicist: The question is about the fact that if you type a fraction … Continue reading →

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Math, Number Theory | 13 Comments

Pluto!

Posted on July 13, 2015 by The Physicist

Physicist: In 2006 a probe called New Horizons was launched to get a better look at Pluto and its moons Charon, Nix, and Hydra.  Since then, Pluto stopped being a planet and gained a couple more moons: Kerberos and Styx. This … Continue reading →

Posted in -- By the Physicist | 9 Comments

Q: If atoms are 99.99% space, what “kind” of space is it? Is it empty vacuum?

Posted on July 4, 2015 by The Physicist

Physicist: This is a bit of a misnomer. When we picture an atom we usually picture the “Bohr model”: a nucleus made of a bunch of particles packed together (protons and neutrons) with other particles zipping around it (electrons).  In … Continue reading →

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Physics, Quantum Theory | 24 Comments