PROBLEM SET 6

QUANTUM PHYSICS

Part A

1. C
h 1  hc 
2. B p 2 x energy    E  2 p
 2  
3. D x-rays travelling straight through (or reflected) are unchanged; the scattered x-rays ( 3 )
have given some of their energy to electrons with which they collided.
4. C
5. B
6. C
7. D
n2 h2 n2 h2 1
8. E E1  2
E2  2
 E1
8mL 8(2m)(2 L) 8
9. A
10. C Longest   smallest energy
E photon  Eatom Smallest ΔEatom: Look for smallest ‘jump’ (but must finish on level
n = 2 for Balmer series).

11. a) Vibrating electrons, atoms, molecules etc. can only have discrete values of energy
En  nhf
where f is the natural frequency of oscillation.
b) These oscillators can only emit or absorb energy in discrete packets.

12. An electron accelerating around a nucleus should continuously emit EM radiation (and with
it, energy). As it loses energy it should spiral into the nucleus (just like a satellite losing
energy due to atmospheric friction would spiral inward and eventually fall to the ground).
As it falls into lower orbits it will revolve with greater and greater angular frequencies and
therefore the radiation emitted will also have greater and greater frequencies. Result: As it
spirals inward to the nucleus, a whole spectrum of EM frequencies will be emitted. (Another
result: the lifetime of the orbit, and therefore of the atom, would only be a tiny fraction of a
second. Hmmm…)

13. If an object is comparable in size (or smaller) to the wavelength of the waves that are hitting
it, it will not be detected. The wavelengths of electrons at the energies used in the electron
microscope are orders of magnitude smaller than the wavelengths of visible light and can
therefore discern smaller details.

1
Part B

1. a) The kinetic energy of the released electrons is related to the energy of the illuminating
photon and the work function () :
hc (4.14 1015 )(3 108 )
K    2.24  1.31eV
 3.5 107

(Note that  does not correspond to the phase constant!!)

b) When wavelengths are longer than the cutoff wavelength, the wavelengths will not have
enough energy to extract any electrons. So K = 0.

hc (4.14 1015 )(3 108 )

hc
      5.54 107 m
  2.24

2. a) Planck’s constant for this experiment can be found from the information given in the graph

K  hf  
K hf  K
  (  Vo )
e e e e
h 
Vo     f    linear graph of V0 vs f
e e
h
where the slope corresponds to
e

4.0 V
From graph: slope   3.6 1015 V  s
1.110 Hz
15

(Remember: Volts are Joules/Coulomb (J/C) or electron volts/elementary charge (eV/e))

h  (slope)(e)  3.6 1015 eV  s

b) At V0  0 , hf  

 
  3.6 1015 eV  s 1.05 1015 Hz  (from graph)
= 3.8 eV

2
 13.6 13.6
3. a) Einitial   0.85  ni  4 and E final   3.4  n f  2
ni2 n2f

b) E photon  Eatom  (3.4  (0.85))  2.55eV

hc hc (4.14 1015 )(3 108 )

E     4.87 107 m
 E 2.55

c) Balmer

5
d) 4
3

4. In the Balmer series for hydrogen the final state nf = 2

E photon  Eatom
from n = 3 to n = 2:
13.6 13.6
E photon   2  1.89eV
22 3

hc (4.14 1015 )(3 108 )

   6.57 107 m
E 1.89

from n = 4 to n = 2:
13.6 13.6
E photon   2  2.55eV
22 4

hc (4.14 1015 )(3 108 )

   4.87 107 m
E 2.55

3
from n = 5 to n = 2:

13.6 13.6
E photon   2  2.86eV
22 5

hc (4.14 1015 )(3 108 )

   4.35 107 m
E 2.86

13.6 13.6
b) (i) Eatom   2  0.306eV a photon with this energy can cause this transition
52 4

13.6 13.6
(ii) photon energy:  2  0.166eV
62 5

hc (4.14 1015 )(3 108 )

(iii)   for 45   4.06 106 m
E 0.306

(4.14 1015 )(3 108 )

for 56   7.48 106 m
0.166

h
5. a)   (1  cos  )
me c
6.63 1034
  31
(1  cos90)  2.43 1012 m
9.1110 (3 10 )8

(Note that h is in units of J∙s)

b) The kinetic energy of recoiling electron is proportional to the change in energy of the photon
hc (4.14 1015 )(3 108 )
E photoninitial   10
 6.21103 eV
i 2 10

hc (4.14 1015 )(3 108 )

E photon final   10
 6.135 103 eV
f 2.0243 10

(NOTE: h is in eV·s. Make sure you can convert from one form to the other and when you use it)
Kelectron  E photon  6.210 103  6.135 103  74.5eV

4
6. The kinetic energy of recoiling electron is proportional to the change in energy of the photon

1 1
Kelectron  mev 2  (9.111031 )(1.5 106 )2  1.02 1018 J
2 2

hc (6.63 1034 )(3 108 )

E photoninitial   10
 2.34 1016 J
 8.5 10

E photon final  2.34 1016  1.02 1018  2.33 1016 J (gave energy to electron)

hc (6.63 1034 )(3 108 )

f    8.54 1010 m
E final 2.33 1016

b) To find the angle, we need to apply the Compton’s scattering equation

h
   f  i  (1  cos  )
mec

θ = cos-1( 1- [8.54×10-10 - 8.5×10-10] (9.11×10-31)(3×108)/ 6.63×10-34) = 130

7. a) a photon travels at speed of light! So vphoton = c = 3x108m/s

h h 6.63 1034
electron: p  mv   v   31 10
 7.3 106 m / s
 me 9.1110 (10 )

h 6.63 1034
baseball with estimate mass of 0.2 kg: v   10
 31023 m / s
mb 0.2(10 )

b) the energy of the photon is inversely proportional to its wavelength

hc (4.14 1015 )(3 108 )
E  10
 1.2 104 eV
 10

5
c) the kinetic energy of the electron:
1 1
Kelectron  mv 2  (9.111031 )(7.3 106 )2  2.43 1017 J
2 2

2.43 1017 J
Kelectron   150eV
1.6 1019 J / eV

the kinetic energy of the baseball:

1 1
Kbaseball  mv 2  (0.2)(3 1023 )2  9 1047 J
2 2

9 1047 J
Kbaseball  19
 6 1028 eV
1.6 10 J / eV

8. E photon  Eelectron  ( E1  E2 )

 h2  3(6.63 1034 )2
E photon  (22  12 )  2 
 31 9 2
 2.90 1020 J
 8mL  8(9.11  10 )(2.5  10 )

hc (6.63 1034 )(3 108 )

  20
 6.87 106 m
E 2.90 10

9. a)

6
b) we first have to define the work function and the probability function
2 n x
 ( x)  sin
L L

2 2 n x
 2 ( x)  sin
L L

0.1L
P00.1L  0  2 ( x)dx (corresponds to the area of shaded region)

2 0.1L  n 
P00.1L 
L 0 sin 2 
 L 
 xdx

0.1L
  n  
 sin 2  x
P00.1L
2 x
    L   with n = 3 (why? Explain!)
L 2  n  
4 
  L   0

2  0.1L L sin(0.6 ) 
P00.1L     0.0495  4.95%
L  2 12

c) Classically, equal probability everywhere in box. 1/10 chance of being between 0 and 0.1L

0 0.1L L

10. From the Heisenberg uncertainty principle for position and momentum

h
xp 
4

h 6.63 1034
v   11 27
 3.15 103 m / s
4x(m) 4 (110 )(1.67 10 )