Ask Anything Wednesday - Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science

Submitted by AutoModerator t3_10wyuf9 in askscience

Welcome to our weekly feature, Ask Anything Wednesday - this week we are focusing on Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science

Do you have a question within these topics you weren't sure was worth submitting? Is something a bit too speculative for a typical /r/AskScience post? No question is too big or small for AAW. In this thread you can ask any science-related question! Things like: "What would happen if...", "How will the future...", "If all the rules for 'X' were different...", "Why does my...".

Asking Questions:

Please post your question as a top-level response to this, and our team of panellists will be here to answer and discuss your questions. The other topic areas will appear in future Ask Anything Wednesdays, so if you have other questions not covered by this weeks theme please either hold on to it until those topics come around, or go and post over in our sister subreddit /r/AskScienceDiscussion , where every day is Ask Anything Wednesday! Off-theme questions in this post will be removed to try and keep the thread a manageable size for both our readers and panellists.

Answering Questions:

Please only answer a posted question if you are an expert in the field. The full guidelines for posting responses in AskScience can be found here. In short, this is a moderated subreddit, and responses which do not meet our quality guidelines will be removed. Remember, peer reviewed sources are always appreciated, and anecdotes are absolutely not appropriate. In general if your answer begins with 'I think', or 'I've heard', then it's not suitable for /r/AskScience.

If you would like to become a member of the AskScience panel, please refer to the information provided here.

Past AskAnythingWednesday posts can be found here. Ask away!

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Automatic_Llama t1_j7pw67l wrote

In languages besides English, what is the literal translation of that language's term for "imaginary number"?

Surely other languages have a less spooky term.

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0b0101011001001011 t1_j7q8mtf wrote

In Finnish, no translation just a loan word: imaginaariluku (compound word, imaginaari luku)

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ZockerTwins t1_j7rjf94 wrote

In German they are called imaginäre Zahlen, which just means imaginary numbers as you can probably tell. Complex numbers are komplexe Zahlen.

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LibertarianAtheist_ t1_j7q8buf wrote

Engineering: Jet engines on helicopters (or even small rc ones). How does the rotor "rotate" to make the heli turn; since its attached to the engine?

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saywherefore t1_j7qoynz wrote

The gas turbine (jet engine) has an output shaft. This goes into a gearbox which drives the rotor and tail rotor. The helicopter turns by changing the pitch of the tail rotor, and so the sideways force at the end of the boom.

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LibertarianAtheist_ t1_j7qqwzx wrote

So the main rotor doesn't change position at all? It's all combination with the tail rotor?

u/saywherefore

The rotor to move in relation to the heli's body. "Rotate"
Like the tires of a car turn in relation to the chassis

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[deleted] t1_j7r2t3y wrote

[deleted]

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LibertarianAtheist_ t1_j7r43lp wrote

>rotor pitch

How does the rotor pitch changes without the jet engine moving? I guess that's my original question but I didn't know what words to use.

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doginjoggers t1_j7v0wdo wrote

Individual main rotor blade angles (pitch) are changed by the swash plate. Tilting the swash plate (cyclic input) creates more lift on one side of the rotor. Raising or lowering the swash plate (collective input) creates more or less lift.

https://youtu.be/HxtXXuMhKKc

https://youtu.be/uVjStAxMFEY

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planet-spinny t1_j7r7t09 wrote

How do I start to design a pipe to transport a fluid from point A to point B?

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Indemnity4 t1_j7samb0 wrote

Step 1: start a degree in chemical engineering. By about year 3 or 4 you should have enough knowledge to design something bad but functional. After that you learn how to make it less bad, but never good.

Your use of the word "fluid" is the challenge. Now we have to consider the phase (gas or liquid), any chemical hazards such as flammable gases, pressures, compatible and incompatible materials, if you need pumps or compressors.

Distance and height differential are very important. For instance, a stormwater pipe from your roof to the ground is easy; an oil pipeline that goes up mountains and down valleys is much harder to design.

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twiggsmcgee666 t1_j7pqubk wrote

Currently I am learning Norton's Theorem, Thevenin's Theorem, Kirchhoff's Laws, the Superposition Theorem, and the Law of Voltage Proportionality. All within the context of DC electrical circuit analysis. (Part of the licensed electrician journey)

Any tips and tricks for making these things easier to do when it comes to the drawing of the circuit and implementation of the theories?

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apoeticturtle t1_j7rw4e4 wrote

What does approximately 3 billion dollars a YEAR pay for in developing AI? At the higher end of pay, this would pay for 15,000 AI engineers.

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