Physics Articles

Stark Effect

The Stark Effect is shown here in the splitting and shifting of spectral lines in hydrogen under the influence of an external electric field.

What is the Stark Effect? This article discusses the spectroscopic effect of strong electric fields known as the Stark effect, named for Johannes Stark, the first to experimentally demonstrate the effect.

Vector Form for Snell's Law

Snell's Law in Vector Form. Usually described in simple single plane coordinates, Snell's law is much more useful when you consider possible refraction out of the plane. To accomplish calculations of this type requires a vector form of the law of refraction.

Snell's law is the one of the first things you learn in an optics class. It is the basis of all refractive optics from your eyeglasses to microscopes and telescopes and even much of the information super highway made of fiber optics and the associated components. But the textbook version of Snell's law always seems to be in a contrived coordinate system with all the light travel in the plane of the page. To use a coordinate system that is more natural to the situation, you need a vector form for Snell's law.

The Physics of Bowling

	The physics of Bowling described by someone that loves the game.
If you really want some insight into the physics of bowling then ask a physicist with a passion for bowling. Dr. Dave Terry, otherwis known as Dr. 300, is a wide ranging physicist with a real passion for bowling. In this pdf presentation, contributed by Dr. Terry, you will learn some of the basic mechanics of the game from a serious physicist's point of view.

Photosynthesis

Photosynthesis depends heavily on quantum effects.

Gamma Ray Bursts and the End of the World!

	Gamma Ray Bursts This is one of the darkest articles you'll ever see on StarkEffects.com and it is about one of the brightest events in the universe, a million trillion times brighter than the Sun.
Could this be the event predicted for Dec 2012? Actually, it could happen anytime, without warning and there is nothing that can be done to prevent it. Gamma Ray Bursts are only recently beginning to be understood and have only been known for 50 years, yet they may have been responsible for the annihilation of life on earth when trilobites ruled the planet.

Laser Beam Propagation

Basics of Laser Beam Propagation. Here are some of the formulas and descriptions of wave phenomena in coherent beams. This is a work in progress, so please have patience, but go ahead and tell me if you see something wrong!

• Basics of Classical Mechanics.
• Basics of Quantum Mechanics.
• Basics of Electrodynamics.
• Basics of Optics.
• Basics of Mathematical Tools for Physics.
• Basics of Remote Sensing.
• Basics of Digital Signal Processing.
• Basics of Plasma Physics.
• Basics of Solid State Physics.