What is “one over something”?
$begingroup$
In my physics class when the tutor talks a value of something, they say that will be "one over something", I'm not sure what this is and I cannot ask because it seems like everyone else knows what he is talking about. I think he's talking about a reciprocal, but I'm not sure why a reciprocal is used.
terminology definition mathematics
edited 40 mins ago
Qmechanic♦
103k121851177
asked 6 hours ago
JayJay
91
New contributor
Jay is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
In my physics class when the tutor talks a value of something, they say that will be "one over something", I'm not sure what this is and I cannot ask because it seems like everyone else knows what he is talking about. I think he's talking about a reciprocal, but I'm not sure why a reciprocal is used.
terminology definition mathematics
edited 40 mins ago
Qmechanic♦
103k121851177
asked 6 hours ago
JayJay
91
New contributor
Jay is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
$endgroup$
4
$begingroup$
Welcome to physics.SE. Yes, it sounds like a reciprocal, but we can't tell why a reciprocal is used in a particular situation without knowing what the physical situation is that is being discussed. Please edit your question to make it more clear what you're asking about.
$endgroup$
– Ben Crowell
6 hours ago
$begingroup$
hi Jay. That does seems like a reciprocal, but I would highly suggest you ask the tutor. They will be delighted that someone is paying attention and wants to learn more, believe me
$endgroup$
– aaaaaa
1 hour ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
In my physics class when the tutor talks a value of something, they say that will be "one over something", I'm not sure what this is and I cannot ask because it seems like everyone else knows what he is talking about. I think he's talking about a reciprocal, but I'm not sure why a reciprocal is used.
terminology definition mathematics
edited 40 mins ago
Qmechanic♦
103k121851177
asked 6 hours ago
JayJay
91
New contributor
Jay is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
$endgroup$
In my physics class when the tutor talks a value of something, they say that will be "one over something", I'm not sure what this is and I cannot ask because it seems like everyone else knows what he is talking about. I think he's talking about a reciprocal, but I'm not sure why a reciprocal is used.
terminology definition mathematics
terminology definition mathematics
edited 40 mins ago
Qmechanic♦
103k121851177
asked 6 hours ago
JayJay
91
New contributor
Jay is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 40 mins ago
Qmechanic♦
103k121851177
asked 6 hours ago
JayJay
91
New contributor
Jay is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 40 mins ago
Qmechanic♦
103k121851177
edited 40 mins ago
Qmechanic♦
103k121851177
edited 40 mins ago
Qmechanic♦
103k121851177
103k121851177
asked 6 hours ago
JayJay
91
New contributor
Jay is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 6 hours ago
JayJay
91
asked 6 hours ago
JayJay
91
91
New contributor
Jay is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
Jay is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Jay is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
4
$begingroup$
Welcome to physics.SE. Yes, it sounds like a reciprocal, but we can't tell why a reciprocal is used in a particular situation without knowing what the physical situation is that is being discussed. Please edit your question to make it more clear what you're asking about.
$endgroup$
– Ben Crowell
6 hours ago
$begingroup$
hi Jay. That does seems like a reciprocal, but I would highly suggest you ask the tutor. They will be delighted that someone is paying attention and wants to learn more, believe me
$endgroup$
– aaaaaa
1 hour ago
add a comment |
4
$begingroup$
Welcome to physics.SE. Yes, it sounds like a reciprocal, but we can't tell why a reciprocal is used in a particular situation without knowing what the physical situation is that is being discussed. Please edit your question to make it more clear what you're asking about.
$endgroup$
– Ben Crowell
6 hours ago
$begingroup$
hi Jay. That does seems like a reciprocal, but I would highly suggest you ask the tutor. They will be delighted that someone is paying attention and wants to learn more, believe me
$endgroup$
– aaaaaa
1 hour ago
4
4
$begingroup$
Welcome to physics.SE. Yes, it sounds like a reciprocal, but we can't tell why a reciprocal is used in a particular situation without knowing what the physical situation is that is being discussed. Please edit your question to make it more clear what you're asking about.
$endgroup$
– Ben Crowell
6 hours ago
$begingroup$
Welcome to physics.SE. Yes, it sounds like a reciprocal, but we can't tell why a reciprocal is used in a particular situation without knowing what the physical situation is that is being discussed. Please edit your question to make it more clear what you're asking about.
$endgroup$
– Ben Crowell
6 hours ago
$begingroup$
hi Jay. That does seems like a reciprocal, but I would highly suggest you ask the tutor. They will be delighted that someone is paying attention and wants to learn more, believe me
$endgroup$
– aaaaaa
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
hi Jay. That does seems like a reciprocal, but I would highly suggest you ask the tutor. They will be delighted that someone is paying attention and wants to learn more, believe me
$endgroup$
– aaaaaa
1 hour ago
add a comment |
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
$begingroup$
I cannot ask because it seems like everyone else knows what he is
talking about. I think he's talking about a reciprocal
It may be true that everyone else knows what your tutor is talking about. But it could be true that most are thinking like you and so won't ask either.
Try asking this: "To be sure, when you say one over something, you are referring to a reciprocal, correct?"
I recall an anecdote from a professor for a junior level EE class I took long ago. He said that he had once taught a class on EE fundamentals to non EE majors. About halfway through the quarter, someone in the class finally had the courage to ask "but what is $j$?" I'm sure almost everyone else in the class was relieved that someone finally asked that question.
From the comments:
This is an interesting anecdote but it doesn't actually appear to
answer the question. Would you consider editing to fix that?
I thought it was clear enough but, given DavidZ's prodding, I'll explicitly state here that I agree with the OP's belief that the tutor is referring to a reciprocal. On the other hand, only the OP's tutor can actually answer the OP's question.
answered 5 hours ago
Alfred CentauriAlfred Centauri
48.2k350150
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
$j$ is $i$, so they should have been confused.
$endgroup$
– JEB
4 hours ago
$begingroup$
This is an interesting anecdote but it doesn't actually appear to answer the question. Would you consider editing to fix that?
$endgroup$
– David Z♦
3 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
“One over $r$” is spoken English for the mathematical expression $1/r$, and similarly for “one over” anything else. More generally “$a$ over $b$“ means $a/b$.
You will learn a lot more more if you are not embarrassed to ask about things you don’t understand. If you don’t want to ask in front of the whole class, ask the teacher after the class. Or ask this site.
answered 5 hours ago
G. SmithG. Smith
6,0181021
$endgroup$
add a comment |
Your Answer
StackExchange.ifUsing("editor", function () {
return StackExchange.using("mathjaxEditing", function () {
StackExchange.MarkdownEditor.creationCallbacks.add(function (editor, postfix) {
StackExchange.mathjaxEditing.prepareWmdForMathJax(editor, postfix, [["$", "$"], ["\\(","\\)"]]);
});
});
}, "mathjax-editing");
StackExchange.ready(function() {
var channelOptions = {
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "151"
};
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);
StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
createEditor();
});
}
else {
createEditor();
}
});
function createEditor() {
StackExchange.prepareEditor({
heartbeatType: 'answer',
autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
convertImagesToLinks: false,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: null,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader: {
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
},
noCode: true, onDemand: true,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
});
}
});
Jay is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fphysics.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f456496%2fwhat-is-one-over-something%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
$begingroup$
I cannot ask because it seems like everyone else knows what he is
talking about. I think he's talking about a reciprocal
It may be true that everyone else knows what your tutor is talking about. But it could be true that most are thinking like you and so won't ask either.
Try asking this: "To be sure, when you say one over something, you are referring to a reciprocal, correct?"
I recall an anecdote from a professor for a junior level EE class I took long ago. He said that he had once taught a class on EE fundamentals to non EE majors. About halfway through the quarter, someone in the class finally had the courage to ask "but what is $j$?" I'm sure almost everyone else in the class was relieved that someone finally asked that question.
From the comments:
This is an interesting anecdote but it doesn't actually appear to
answer the question. Would you consider editing to fix that?
I thought it was clear enough but, given DavidZ's prodding, I'll explicitly state here that I agree with the OP's belief that the tutor is referring to a reciprocal. On the other hand, only the OP's tutor can actually answer the OP's question.
answered 5 hours ago
Alfred CentauriAlfred Centauri
48.2k350150
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
$j$ is $i$, so they should have been confused.
$endgroup$
– JEB
4 hours ago
$begingroup$
This is an interesting anecdote but it doesn't actually appear to answer the question. Would you consider editing to fix that?
$endgroup$
– David Z♦
3 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
I cannot ask because it seems like everyone else knows what he is
talking about. I think he's talking about a reciprocal
It may be true that everyone else knows what your tutor is talking about. But it could be true that most are thinking like you and so won't ask either.
Try asking this: "To be sure, when you say one over something, you are referring to a reciprocal, correct?"
I recall an anecdote from a professor for a junior level EE class I took long ago. He said that he had once taught a class on EE fundamentals to non EE majors. About halfway through the quarter, someone in the class finally had the courage to ask "but what is $j$?" I'm sure almost everyone else in the class was relieved that someone finally asked that question.
From the comments:
This is an interesting anecdote but it doesn't actually appear to
answer the question. Would you consider editing to fix that?
I thought it was clear enough but, given DavidZ's prodding, I'll explicitly state here that I agree with the OP's belief that the tutor is referring to a reciprocal. On the other hand, only the OP's tutor can actually answer the OP's question.
answered 5 hours ago
Alfred CentauriAlfred Centauri
48.2k350150
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
$j$ is $i$, so they should have been confused.
$endgroup$
– JEB
4 hours ago
$begingroup$
This is an interesting anecdote but it doesn't actually appear to answer the question. Would you consider editing to fix that?
$endgroup$
– David Z♦
3 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
I cannot ask because it seems like everyone else knows what he is
talking about. I think he's talking about a reciprocal
It may be true that everyone else knows what your tutor is talking about. But it could be true that most are thinking like you and so won't ask either.
Try asking this: "To be sure, when you say one over something, you are referring to a reciprocal, correct?"
I recall an anecdote from a professor for a junior level EE class I took long ago. He said that he had once taught a class on EE fundamentals to non EE majors. About halfway through the quarter, someone in the class finally had the courage to ask "but what is $j$?" I'm sure almost everyone else in the class was relieved that someone finally asked that question.
From the comments:
This is an interesting anecdote but it doesn't actually appear to
answer the question. Would you consider editing to fix that?
I thought it was clear enough but, given DavidZ's prodding, I'll explicitly state here that I agree with the OP's belief that the tutor is referring to a reciprocal. On the other hand, only the OP's tutor can actually answer the OP's question.
answered 5 hours ago
Alfred CentauriAlfred Centauri
48.2k350150
$endgroup$
I cannot ask because it seems like everyone else knows what he is
talking about. I think he's talking about a reciprocal
It may be true that everyone else knows what your tutor is talking about. But it could be true that most are thinking like you and so won't ask either.
Try asking this: "To be sure, when you say one over something, you are referring to a reciprocal, correct?"
I recall an anecdote from a professor for a junior level EE class I took long ago. He said that he had once taught a class on EE fundamentals to non EE majors. About halfway through the quarter, someone in the class finally had the courage to ask "but what is $j$?" I'm sure almost everyone else in the class was relieved that someone finally asked that question.
From the comments:
This is an interesting anecdote but it doesn't actually appear to
answer the question. Would you consider editing to fix that?
I thought it was clear enough but, given DavidZ's prodding, I'll explicitly state here that I agree with the OP's belief that the tutor is referring to a reciprocal. On the other hand, only the OP's tutor can actually answer the OP's question.
answered 5 hours ago
Alfred CentauriAlfred Centauri
48.2k350150
edited 1 hour ago
answered 5 hours ago
Alfred CentauriAlfred Centauri
48.2k350150
answered 5 hours ago
Alfred CentauriAlfred Centauri
48.2k350150
answered 5 hours ago
Alfred CentauriAlfred Centauri
48.2k350150
48.2k350150
$begingroup$
$j$ is $i$, so they should have been confused.
$endgroup$
– JEB
4 hours ago
$begingroup$
This is an interesting anecdote but it doesn't actually appear to answer the question. Would you consider editing to fix that?
$endgroup$
– David Z♦
3 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
$j$ is $i$, so they should have been confused.
$endgroup$
– JEB
4 hours ago
$begingroup$
This is an interesting anecdote but it doesn't actually appear to answer the question. Would you consider editing to fix that?
$endgroup$
– David Z♦
3 hours ago
$begingroup$
$j$ is $i$, so they should have been confused.
$endgroup$
– JEB
4 hours ago
$begingroup$
$j$ is $i$, so they should have been confused.
$endgroup$
– JEB
4 hours ago
$begingroup$
This is an interesting anecdote but it doesn't actually appear to answer the question. Would you consider editing to fix that?
$endgroup$
– David Z♦
3 hours ago
$begingroup$
This is an interesting anecdote but it doesn't actually appear to answer the question. Would you consider editing to fix that?
$endgroup$
– David Z♦
3 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
“One over $r$” is spoken English for the mathematical expression $1/r$, and similarly for “one over” anything else. More generally “$a$ over $b$“ means $a/b$.
You will learn a lot more more if you are not embarrassed to ask about things you don’t understand. If you don’t want to ask in front of the whole class, ask the teacher after the class. Or ask this site.
answered 5 hours ago
G. SmithG. Smith
6,0181021
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
“One over $r$” is spoken English for the mathematical expression $1/r$, and similarly for “one over” anything else. More generally “$a$ over $b$“ means $a/b$.
You will learn a lot more more if you are not embarrassed to ask about things you don’t understand. If you don’t want to ask in front of the whole class, ask the teacher after the class. Or ask this site.
answered 5 hours ago
G. SmithG. Smith
6,0181021
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
“One over $r$” is spoken English for the mathematical expression $1/r$, and similarly for “one over” anything else. More generally “$a$ over $b$“ means $a/b$.
You will learn a lot more more if you are not embarrassed to ask about things you don’t understand. If you don’t want to ask in front of the whole class, ask the teacher after the class. Or ask this site.
answered 5 hours ago
G. SmithG. Smith
6,0181021
$endgroup$
“One over $r$” is spoken English for the mathematical expression $1/r$, and similarly for “one over” anything else. More generally “$a$ over $b$“ means $a/b$.
You will learn a lot more more if you are not embarrassed to ask about things you don’t understand. If you don’t want to ask in front of the whole class, ask the teacher after the class. Or ask this site.
answered 5 hours ago
G. SmithG. Smith
6,0181021
edited 5 hours ago
answered 5 hours ago
G. SmithG. Smith
6,0181021
answered 5 hours ago
G. SmithG. Smith
6,0181021
answered 5 hours ago
G. SmithG. Smith
6,0181021
6,0181021
add a comment |
add a comment |
Jay is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Jay is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Jay is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Jay is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Thanks for contributing an answer to Physics Stack Exchange!
- Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!
But avoid …
- Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.
- Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.
Use MathJax to format equations. MathJax reference.
To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fphysics.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f456496%2fwhat-is-one-over-something%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
4
$begingroup$
Welcome to physics.SE. Yes, it sounds like a reciprocal, but we can't tell why a reciprocal is used in a particular situation without knowing what the physical situation is that is being discussed. Please edit your question to make it more clear what you're asking about.
$endgroup$
– Ben Crowell
6 hours ago
$begingroup$
hi Jay. That does seems like a reciprocal, but I would highly suggest you ask the tutor. They will be delighted that someone is paying attention and wants to learn more, believe me
$endgroup$
– aaaaaa
1 hour ago