What is does an epsilon with subscript of W stand for, when discussing radioactive decay? O.o
I know a lot of geeky stuff, but you’re on your own here, pardner.
Is the subscript letter a real w, or a lowercase omega (kind of rounded on the bottom)? According to Wikipedia, in physics the omega would be angular velocity, and the epsilon, permittivity. Another site http://www.indiana.edu/~geog109/topics/04_radiation/stefan_bol.htmmentions epsilon as the emissivity of the particle emitting radiation. Good luck figuring it out.
I was sitting here grading papers, saw a thread come up about “homework,” and automatically opened it. And then sat here flummoxed, trying to figure out how I had missed this in my textbooks and in which one . . . Decay? Do we calculate decay? Why would we need to do that? Mind flipping through several hundred pages of rad-related stuff, fearing the worst–that calculating radioactive decay was going to be a new and hideous requirement in my life. Felt a little sick. Oh, dear! This is what I get for not paying attention in college. It’s come home to haunt me! How could this happen! And on a Sunday night!
Then, with relief, I realized it must be half-life. Need to redirect student–don’t get tangled up in the equations. . . no need . . . use a piece of string . . . went back to your question . . . read it again . . . then it dawned on me that this was not a question about half-life. Not my class board, either.
You have no idea how glad I am. (Sent you a PM.)
Please provide your reference.
I fear it’s in a language and format you simply wouldn’t understand. 
It was given to me by the Cyrssogkhay483h4 (open wound)////EXIT
42 = the answer to life, the universe and everything, per the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
djm
Thank you. Always remember to give your reference.
I wonder where Duckrastra is? He’s a physics major.
Cran didn’t need to give a source. Simply saying “42” is sufficient for anyone who has read the Hitchiker series.
It’s like saying, “I get no respect” or “It was their finest hour” or “I shall return” or “I’ll be back” or “Doh!” or “You talking to me?” or “Did I fire five shots or six?” etc. etc. etc. The act of making the reference implies the assumption that at least some of the listeners will “get it” and those that do not will require a later explanation.
I’ve done a little digging and come up dry. I suspect it’s a non-standard symbol. Sam, please let us know when you find out; I’m interested.
What kind of a course is it? I suppose chemists might use a different set of symbols from physicists, and that medical physicists/biologists might use yet a different set.
very good, deepthought! 
I recognize “Doh!” 
Of course it could be interpreted as elitism too.
“I get no respect” or “I don’t get no respect”, Rodney Dangerfield
“…their finest hour..” Winston Churchill
“I shall return.” Douglas MacArthur
“I’ll be back.” Arnold Schwartzwhatever in Terminator
“You talking to me?” Robert DeNiro in Taxi Driver
“Did I fire five shots or six?” Clint Eastwood, Dirty Harry
Could be an age-related thing.
In my case, I think it’s just that I’m a girl geek–my formative years, so to speak, were spent with my nose in a book. Between that and working, there was no time to watch movies or TV, even if I could have afforded them.
Which brings us back on topic. (Oooooh!)
What IS an epsilon with a subscripted w-thing? Now, even I want to know! I’m feeling inspired to go take some more physics! (But I think I can suppress the urge.)
And where IS TelegramSam, who asked about it? Does he need an answer? He hasn’t been back! I’m worried that some kind of horrible misadventure has befallen him!
Maybe it was just a squished bug in his textbook, or a bit of drippy ink . . .
Shouldn’t there be some kind of hotline you can call? Like a poison control center, only for pressing radiation-induced questions? “Decay-R-Us?”
Epsilon seems to be used to represent a null value. It shows up in geology, biology, data processing, etc. What εw might represent for radioactivity calculations is beyond me. Here is a related link. Maybe someone here can make some sense of this:
http://www.math.ohio-state.edu/~gcraciun/Papers/reaction_transport_submitted.pdf
djm
I asked one of my classmates and he said the subscript referred to tungsten, which was mentioned in the problem. He wasn’t sure about the epsilon though, except that he found an equation that used it and got an answer for something (though neither of us knew what).
Of course, I had to turn it in this morning, so it’s kinda moot now.
You’ll let us know what it was when you get the assignment back, right? I don’t think I could stand the mystery of wondering what epsilon w is all my life!
I’d be satisified with just seeing the actual problem posted
Umm, I had hesitated to mention that, but I’d be thrilled to see the problem itself.
Sigh. My students are always asking me questions like “What’s x?” What’s x what? What about it? “Well, you know, like there in chapter 10.” Grrr.
I’ve decided that a big part of education lies in learning how to ask the question. It’s more important than having the answers to them.