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Most Beautiful Equation

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I suppose that

F = \frac{dp}{dt}

is technically more true...

Reply 41

Mush

El Doctoré de Mystéro

Surely the Laplace operator looks WAY nicer than all the partial derivatives?! And also the fact that it applies to any number of dimensions in any coordinate system.

Aye, suppose.

I just like partials though! They're so cool to write lol.

Reply 42

Kyle_S-C

I don't see how any physicist could not (aesthetically) appreciate the differential form of Maxwell's equations, the integral forms ain't so pretty though, the Schrodinger equation (in its general

Unparseable latex formula:

\math{H} \psi = E \psi

form) is also rather good.

I rather like

S=k \ln \Omega

and for some reason

Q = \sum_ie^{-\beta \epsilon_i}

appeals to me too. The partition function is just amazing, especially for something which is essentially a normalising coefficient.

Reply 43

Simplicity

Although this is not an equation but I kind of like this.

(\forall x)(x \in A \leftrightarrow x \in B) \rightarrow A=B

Reply 44

div curl F = 0

No one for the GR field equations or Einstein-Hilbert action? Rather than being one equation the first is 10 equations since the indices run over 0,1,2,3 and the Ricci tensor is symmetric:

\displaystyle R_{\mu \nu} - \frac{1}{2} R g_{\mu \nu} = 8 \pi G T_{\mu \nu}

If you were feeling flush with cash you could even include the c's.

Reply 45

Mithra

0 div curl F

No one for the GR field equations or Einstein-Hilbert action? Rather than being one equation the first is 10 equations since the indices run over 0,1,2,3 and the Ricci tensor is symmetric:

\displaystyle R_{\mu \nu} - \frac{1}{2} R g_{\mu \nu} = 8 \pi G T_{\mu \nu}

If you were feeling flush with cash you could even include the c's.

Speaking of which, not really an equation but the Lorentz factor is nice :smile:

. I like equations that you can just look at and think "ah yeah, I can see how that logically makes sense".

Reply 46

TableChair

Mush

Oh, and I'd probably go for Laplace equation:

\displaystyle \frac{\partial^2 \varphi}{\partial^2 x} +\frac{\partial^2 \varphi}{\partial^2 y} +\frac{\partial^2 \varphi}{\partial^2 z} =0

I like partials, for some reason.

Or, more compactly, and equally as cool:

\nabla^2 \varphi = 0

I'd go for Poisson's equation of Laplace's.

Reply 47

The Muon

I would just have

\mu

Reply 48

2^1/2

good thread, not my favourite but i can't believe the quadratic formula hasn't come up yet

x=\frac{-b \pm \sqrt{b^2-4ac}}{2a}

i'd stick to:

v_s=\sqrt{\frac{\mu}{\rho}}

but then i do like euler...

Reply 49

gbp1

F = ma its surly the most important equation in physics, mechanics is all about this formula

Reply 50

oholiab

gbp1

F = ma its surly the most important equation in physics, mechanics is all about this formula

But it's not strictly speaking true as in the relativistic case mass changes, hence the "rate of change of momentum" version that people have been saying... Also massless particles (i.e. photons) can also exert force.

Reply 51

jack65

Hellier

If you were to have an equation tatooed somewhere upon your person, which would it be and why? (see my profile page for a rather spiffing example)

Hi, just signed up because I thought the thread was interesting. And because I came across this picture the other day:

http://talklikeaphysicist.com/2008/must-see-fourier-transform-tattoo/

- which I thought was very relevant to your post that started this thread.

So - Fourier, anyone? :rolleyes: