Question

Answer the following about things that make 3D special in physics, for 10 points each.
[10m] Gravitational orbits and atoms can only exist in 3D since solving the Poisson equation in 3D gives force laws with this property. Only force laws with this form and linear force laws give rise to stable orbits by Bertrand’s theorem.
ANSWER: inverse-square [accept one over r-squared or one over d-squared or one over distance-squared or one over radius-squared; prompt on central forces]
[10h] Tensor quantities like angular velocity and magnetic field can only be represented as vectors in 3D, because 2-forms and 1-forms are Hodge dual in 3D. The representations can be mapped to each other using this operator, symbolized epsilon-sub-ijk in 3D.
ANSWER: Levi-Civita symbol
[10e] The duality of vectors and rank-2 tensors explains why this operation is defined in 3D. Taking this operation of two vectors outputs a vector that is perpendicular to both.
ANSWER: cross product [prompt on vector product; reject “dot product”]
<VD, Physics>

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McMaster ApocolocyntosisBidiiToronto Chestnut Rice and Kamehameha001010
Toronto AOttawa Absolomabsolomabsolom1001020
Toronto BWaterloo Aspidistra10101030
McGill AToronto Metropolitan A001010
Toronto Disband the Club 2k24Waterloo Basic001010
Carleton AWaterloo Cloze0101020