Question: when can you use a formula

Sam Geen answered on 18 Jun 2013:

People use formulae all the time to describe the world – if you do an experiment, you can describe what’s happening by using formulae.

For example – right now, I’m studying how gas in space cools down. This is important because gas needs to cool down to collapse so it can form stars, otherwise the gas pressure stops it from collapsing. I’m using a formula to measure how fast the gas cools depending on what temperature and density it is. From there I can figure out how fast supernova blastwaves cool down, and can figure out how supernovae change the galaxy. Formulae are super important all over physics and astronomy – so keep working at your maths!