What is Radius: Definition and 1000 Discussions

In classical geometry, a radius of a circle or sphere is any of the line segments from its center to its perimeter, and in more modern usage, it is also their length. The name comes from the Latin radius, meaning ray but also the spoke of a chariot wheel. The plural of radius can be either radii (from the Latin plural) or the conventional English plural radiuses. The typical abbreviation and mathematical variable name for radius is r. By extension, the diameter d is defined as twice the radius:




d

2
r



r
=


d
2


.


{\displaystyle d\doteq 2r\quad \Rightarrow \quad r={\frac {d}{2}}.}
If an object does not have a center, the term may refer to its circumradius, the radius of its circumscribed circle or circumscribed sphere. In either case, the radius may be more than half the diameter, which is usually defined as the maximum distance between any two points of the figure. The inradius of a geometric figure is usually the radius of the largest circle or sphere contained in it. The inner radius of a ring, tube or other hollow object is the radius of its cavity.
For regular polygons, the radius is the same as its circumradius. The inradius of a regular polygon is also called apothem. In graph theory, the radius of a graph is the minimum over all vertices u of the maximum distance from u to any other vertex of the graph.The radius of the circle with perimeter (circumference) C is




r
=


C

2
π



.


{\displaystyle r={\frac {C}{2\pi }}.}

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  1. L

    How Do You Calculate the Bohr Radius for a Helium Ion?

    Homework Statement Using the Bohr model, find the atomic radius for a singly ionized He+ atom in the n = 1 (ground) state and the n = 2 (first excited) state. Then find the wavelength of the emitted photon when an electron transitions from the n = 2 to the n = 1 state.Homework Equations a_0 =...
  2. M

    E and V for 2 rings of line charge, radius R separated by R

    there are 2 rings of charge, radius R on the x-axis separated by a distance R, find the potential and E field. so don't you have to calculate the field to the left of the 2 rings, in between the 2 rings and to the right? I get these answers for the E field which by symmetry points only on the...
  3. N

    How Do You Calculate the Radius of a Cylinder from Its Label Area and Height?

    Homework Statement The area of a label on a cylindrical can is defined by A = 16(pi)x^2 - 68(pi)x + 42(pi). If the height of the can is defined as h = 2x - 7, determine the radius of the can. *Note: the (pi) represents a pi symbol; it would not work on my computer* Homework...
  4. B

    Work required to increase the radius of a sphere by dr

    Homework Statement To assemble a uniformly charged sphere, assemble it like a snowball, layer by layer, each time bringing in an infinitesimal charge dq from far away and smearing it uniformly over the surface, thereby increasing the radius. How much work dW does it take to build up the radius...
  5. B

    Velocity of object falling from Hill Radius to Earth

    Homework Statement Find the hill radius of Earth and calculate the velocity of an object falling from that radius (and from rest from the Earth's frame) at the point where it impacts the Earth. Relate this velocity to the escape velocity of Earth. Homework Equations Hill radius: r_h=R...
  6. 1

    Predicting the Radius of the Sun as a Red Giant with SSM

    How can SSM be utilized to predict the radius of the Sun when it becomes a red giant?
  7. S

    Schwarzschild Radius Explanation?

    Hello, First off, I'm not a physics student by any means, but it does intrigue me. I've been wondering about the Schwarzschild radius, and how the density of an object dictates the escape speed. Why is it, that the more you compress an object, the more gravity it "owns?" If you were able to...
  8. A

    Finding altitude of a satellite if you know it's radius and mass

    Homework Statement A 135 kg satellite experiences a gravitational force by the Earth of 960 N. What is the radius of the satellite's orbit. And altitude? I already found the radius and I came up with 7489.99 km. I just need help finding the altitude. Homework Equations Equation for...
  9. N

    Inside radius of atomic electron cloud vs Z

    I am interested in knowing if the inside radius of the inner most part of the electron cloud is a constant versus Z. For example is it always the Bohr radius, or does this inner radius change as a function of Z? What is the experimental evidence?
  10. PhizKid

    Electric field at a radius outside of a hollow cylinder w/ a rod in it

    Homework Statement Consider a hollow cylinder of radius 10 m., length 50 m., and charge 6 C., and a rod with radius 4 m., length 50 m., and charge -4 C. The rod is uniformly placed inside the center of the hollow cylinder. What is the electric field at radius = 15 m.?Homework Equations...
  11. A

    Electron scattering: nuclear radius to nucleon number relationship

    Hi! I am extremely confused on what seems to be quite a simple question. The question contains a graph of root mean square radius <r^{2}> plotted against A^{1/3} where A is the nucleon number. In the lecture notes he specifies that <r^{2}> is not the same as R but does not really say...
  12. D

    The effect of mass on airplane turning radius?

    I've been trolling for this answer on the Internet but can't find a simple explanation. If I have two airplanes of different mass, both flying at the same speed, which plane has the larger turning radius and why? It seems like the more massive plane would require the larger turning radius due...
  13. B

    An intuitive approach to torque's dependence on radius

    Does anyone have an intuitive explanation for why torque depends on the perpendicular distance from the axis of rotation? I understand the maths and fully accept the truth of the description, but CANNOT wrap my brain around the reason. The ball and spring model of a solid seems like a place to...
  14. Z

    Confused about solenoid radius from this site

    So I was reading a thread on PF talking about the radius of a solenoid and Bob S answered with a link: On that site, it states that the Radius = the outer radius - the inner. It doesn't make sense. What happens when there is only one layer of coil and the outer radius (OR) is basically the...
  15. J

    Black hole radius and universe

    The Schwarzschild equation for a black hole's event horizon is rsh = 2GM/c2 or (1.48 x 10-27 m/kg) x M. Thus, the ratio of mass to radius is 6.7 x 1026 kg/m for all black holes. If the mass and radius of the universe are calculated as follows, Mass of the gravitationally connected universe...
  16. PsychonautQQ

    Polar Coordinates inverse Radius

    Homework Statement I have to turn this homework in online... I just want someone to check my work Convert from Cartesian coordinates to Polar coordinates (-1,-sqrt(3)) if r > 0 and if r < 0. Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution if r > 0 then I believe the answer is...
  17. M

    Volume integration where the radius limit depends on the polar angle

    Hi, I want to calculate a volume integral of a function f(r,theta). The limits for azimuthal and polar angle is of course 0-2*pi and 0-pi, respectively. But the limits for the radius is 0 to an expression depending on the polar angle. Can I simply first integrate the r-part, say from r^4 to...
  18. J

    What is the radius of curvature formula for an ellipse at slope = 1?

    What is the radius of curvature formula for an ellipse at slope = 1? I have found b^2/a, and a^2/b for the major and minor axis, but nothing for slope = 1. Thanks.
  19. C

    How does radius of point spread function affect reconstruction errors?

    Hi guys, I've been struggling with this concept for a few days now. I have this *good* image that I am blurring (using a gaussian blur), then adding some small percentage of gaussian white noise to it. Then from that image, I want to compute the naive solution (just assuming B=AX and solving...
  20. A

    Calculating Angular Displacement of CD with Radius 6.0 cm

    Homework Statement If the radius of theCD below is 6.0cm and the angular velocity is 5.0 rad/s , what's is its angular displacement in 2.0s ? Homework Equations Delta θ = ωt+.5∂t^2 The Attempt at a Solution I know the angular velocity and the time but how can I find out the radial...
  21. E

    Find radius of convergence and interval of convergence for the series

    x^n/(2n-1) is the series. It starts at 1 and goes to infinity. I did the ratio test on it and got abs.(x) So the radius of convergence=1, and then I plugged -1 and 1 into the original series and got that they both converged. But the answer is [-1,1). Why aren't they both hard brackets?
  22. F

    Radius of a Raindrop given Charge and Electric Potential

    Homework Statement A spherical rain drop carries a charge of 5×10-6 C and has a potential of 8.800×10-8 V at the surface. Find the radius of the drop. Homework Equations V = (kQ)/r The Attempt at a Solution I simply moved V and r to their respective spots and plugged in my...
  23. D

    Moving faster than light in Schwarzshield radius

    When I watch the spacetime diagram of a particle inside the Scharzshield radius, it seems that the particle can move 'horizontal' (they move dr while X0 stays constant). Does this mean the particle can move faster than light inside the Schwarzschield sphere? Or does the meaning of space/time...
  24. M

    Describing the radius with density

    How can I describe mathematically that if you take some mass m with some density d as the radius tends to 0 the density tends to \infty I'm not exactly sure what it is I'm trying to describe I'm just looking for something that describes when the radius of an object decreases, the density...
  25. S

    Smallest curvature radius in gradient index optics

    Hello, would someone know what is the smallest radius of curvature achievable with current gradient index optics (GRIN) technology? I mean, how much could one "curve" a ray of light? Many thanks! :smile:
  26. F

    The cosmological Big Rip and a shrinking hubble radius

    The cosmological "Big Rip" and a shrinking Hubble radius Doesn't an expanding universe forecast such outcomes as a faded and unobservable cmb, galaxies moving away from each other greater than the speed of light, a gravitationally unbound solar system, and eventually an observable universe...
  27. J

    Is the Hubble Radius the Actual Radius of Our Universe?

    An effort to understand the physical implications of the Hubble radius. I start by assuming a flat radial FRW metric given by: ds^2 = - c^2 dt^2 + a(t)^2 dr^2 Let us assume that we are holding one end of a rigid ruler with the other end out in space at a fixed proper distance R away from us...
  28. S

    Van der Waals radius of hydrogen deuteride

    Does anyone have a reference for experimental and/or estimated Van der Waals radius for the molecule hydrogen deuteride ? Symbolically, this would be a proton {(p)e-} + {(np)e-} deuterium. I would like to know how closely the two atoms can approach each other to maintain the stable state of a...
  29. R

    Airplane diving with a circle radius

    1. A 55 kg airplane pilot pulls out of a dive by following, at constant speed, the arc of a circle whose radius is 320 m. At the bottom of the circle, where her speed is 230 km/h, what is the magnitude of her acceleration? Homework Equations v^2= vi^2 +2a(x-xi) The Attempt at a...
  30. anemone

    MHB What is the radius of the circle inscribing a hexagon?

    A hexagon with consecutive sides of lengths 2, 2, 7, 7, 11 and 11 is inscribed in a circle. Find the radius of the circle.
  31. S

    Schwarzchild Radius: By definition must be dependent on distance.

    The Schwarzschild Radius of an object is the length such that if the object is shrunk down that small, the escape velocity becomes equal to the speed of light. That being said, however, the escape velocity of any gravitational body matters where it is measured relative to the center of mass...
  32. B

    Radius of a photon's circular orbit around a mass

    What is the radius of a photon's circular orbit around a mass M? My guess would be the Scharzschild radius. Is that true?
  33. G

    Solving for the Radius of a Circle in a Sector

    Hi all, I have found this formula being used but I am not sure what it means. It is used to find the radius of a circle in a sector. Hope you can help me understand it. sin(π/6) = r/(6-r) r is the radius of the circle itself and 6 is the radius of the sector or the circle of the sector...
  34. adjacent

    Centripetal Force and radius of the circle

    When the radius of the circle decrease the object moves faster(With the same force) I believe this is a misconception .In common sense the object revolves around more,This leads us to think that it is moving fast but actually the object moves the same distance.Am I right?
  35. P

    Parametric Equations finding largest radius

    Homework Statement Suppose that r = f (θ) defines a polar graph. Find an expression for dx/dθ. It should not involve the letter r. Explain a procedure to determine the farthest that the graph r = f (θ) extends to the left and to the right (Hint: If x = x0 is the x - value of the point that...
  36. A

    Energy left of body falling down to Schwarzschild radius

    Let us consider the case of a body falling down radially towards a Schwarzschild black hole. The velocity of the body is as high as it would be if it had been falling from standstill at infinity. When the body finally fuses with the black hole (get infinitely close to the Schwarzshild...
  37. W

    Is Changing Radius Constant Equal to a Constant Rate of Change in Area?

    A=\pir^{2} therfore, \frac{dA}{dt}=2\pi\frac{dr}{dt} The question is if \frac{dr}{dt} is constant is \frac{dA}{dt} constant? To me, I know that if the change in radius with respect to time is constant, The rate of change of the are with respect to time still depends on the radius of...
  38. S

    Representing a radius vector in a Cartesian system for a simulation

    Homework Statement I need to develop a macroscopic gravity simulation software. I have problems with representing vectors in a programming language (c++), because I need do develop my own mathematical infrastructure for the project. I asked for the Cartesian coordinates, but would also have...
  39. P

    Radius and Interval of convergence

    Homework Statement Ʃ(((-1)^n)(x^n))/(n+1) from 0 to ∞Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution I took applied the ratio test and got that lim|(x^(n+1))/(n+2) * (n+1)/(x^n)| =|x| so that means for it to converge |x|<1 Radius of convergence is 1 My interval is (-1<x<1) Now I check the...
  40. A

    Radius of convergence of power series

    Homework Statement The coefficients of the power series \sum_{n=0}^{∞}a_{n}(x-2)^{n} satisfy a_{0} = 5 and a_{n} = (\frac{2n+1}{3n-1})a_{n-1} for all n ≥ 1 . The radius of convergence of the series is: (a) 0 (b) \frac{2}{3} (c) \frac{3}{2} (d) 2 (e) infinite Homework EquationsThe Attempt at...
  41. K

    Coriolis Force on a Wheel of radius r spinning at angular velocity

    Imagine that we have a wheel spinning with the axis of rotation normal to the Earth's surface. For convenience, let's assume that the wheel is located somewhere in the north hemisphere. According to the definition of the Coriolis force, every little particle dm of the wheel has a coriolis...
  42. P

    Finding Radius of Curvature of a Sphere Using Angle Excess

    On the surface of a sphere, we can find the radius of cuvature of the sphere by: angle excess / area = 1/ r_s^2 http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Angle_excess&oldid=543583039 If we use triangles, for instance, the angle excess is the sum of the angles of the triangle minus 180...
  43. marcus

    How to derive dark energy density from Jorrie's Hubble radius limit

    How to derive "dark energy" density from Jorrie's Hubble radius limit (c^4/(8 pi G))*3*(17.3e9 light years)^(-2) Paste that in the google window, and see what you get. When I paste that into google I get 0.5393 nanopascal, which is equivalent to 0.5393 nanojoule per cubic meter. If the...
  44. P

    Sphere surface area and radius

    I am curious about the relationship between an ever expanding sphere's radius and its surface area. how would I relate the rate of change in radius to the rate of change in the surface area.
  45. G

    Tensile stress, radius and Young's modulus

    Homework Statement An Aluminum cable of length 3.5m has 15,000 N tensile force acting on it if the wire is only allowed to be stretched by 1mm before it breaks, What must be the radius of the wire if the Young's modulus of Al is 6.9 x 10^10 N/m^2? I am also supposed to find the tensile...
  46. F

    What Is the Relationship Between Radius and Wavelength in Huygens' Wavelets?

    Huygens' belief was that every wave is made up of smaller wavelets, which are basically circles. I was wondering, is the radius of these wavelets equal to the length of the wavelength of its wave? I have another related question: If a wave is passing through a slit, what is the maximum...
  47. anemone

    MHB Calculating the Radius of a Circle Using Point Ratios

    Points A, B, C, D are on a circle with radius R. |AC| = |AB| = 500, while the ratio between |DC|, |DA|, |DB| is 1, 5, 7. Find R.
  48. J

    Resistance of a Copper Wire with initial and final radius

    Homework Statement A Copper wire has a shape given by a radius that increases as R(x)= aex+ b. Its initial radius is .45 mm and final radius is 9.67 mm and its horizontal length is 38 cm. Find its resistance. Homework Equations R = pL/A where p = resistivity of copper A = ∏r2 L = length of...
  49. Q

    Using Centripetal Forces to find the radius of a circle

    Homework Statement A 100g (0.1kg) rock is attatched to a 1.0m rope and spun around in a circle with a period of rotation of 1.0s. What is the Radius of the circle that it forms? Homework Equations Fc = (mV^2) / r V= (2∏r/T) LCosθ = r The Attempt at a Solution Im quite stick...
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