40.34.

IDENTIFY: If the given wave function is a solution to the Schrödinger equation, we will get an
identity when we substitute that wave function into the Schrödinger equation.
SET UP: The given function is  ( x)  Aeikx , and the one-dimensional Schrödinger equation is

d 2 ( x)
  U ( x) ( x)  E ( x).
2m dx 2

EXECUTE: Start with the given function and take the indicated derivatives:  ( x)  Aeikx .

d ( x) d 2 ( x) d 2 ( x)
 Aikeikx .  Ai 2 2 ikx
k e   Ak 2 ikx
e .   k 2 ( x).
dx dx 2 dx 2

d 2 ( x) 2
  k 2 ( x). Substituting these results into the one-dimensional Schrödinger
2m dx 2 2m
2
k2
equation gives  ( x)  U 0 ( x)  E  ( x).
2m

EVALUATE:  ( x)  A eikx is a solution to the one-dimensional Schrödinger equation if

2
k2 2 m( E  U 0 )
E  U0  or k  2
. (Since U 0  E was given, k is the square root of a
2m
positive quantity.) In terms of the particle’s momentum p: k  p/ , and in terms of the particle’s

de Broglie wavelength : k  2 /.

40.35. IDENTIFY: Let I refer to the region x  0 and let II refer to the region x  0, so

d I d II
 I ( x)  Aeik x  Beik x and  II ( x)  Ceik x . Set  I (0)   II (0) and
1 1 2
 at x  0.
dx dx

d ikx
SET UP: (e )  ikeikx .
dx

d I d II
EXECUTE:  I (0)   II (0) gives A  B  C.  at x  0 gives ik1 A  ik1B  ik2C.
dx dx

k k   2k 2 
Solving this pair of equations for B and C gives B   1 2  A and C    A.
 k1  k2   k1  k2 

B 2 (k1  k2 ) 2
EVALUATE: The probability of reflection is R   . The probability of transmission
A2 (k1  k2 ) 2

C2 4k12
is T   . Note that R  T  1.
A2
(k1  k2 )2

(n  1) 2  n 2 2n  1 2 1
40.36. (a) Rn     2 . This is never larger than it is for n  1, and R1  3.
n2 n2 n n

(b) R approaches zero; in the classical limit, there is no quantization, and the spacing of successive
levels is vanishingly small compared to the energy levels.
L 4
2 L/4 πx 2 L/ 4 1  2πx  1 L 2πx  1 1
L 0
40.38. (a) sin 2 dx   1  cos  dx   x  sin    , which is about
L L 0 2 L  L 2 L 0 4 2π

0.0908.
 L2
1 L 2πx  1 1
(b) Repeating with limits of L 4 and L 2 gives  x  sin    ,
L 2π L  L 4 4 2

about 0.409.
(c) The particle is much likely to be nearer the middle of the box than the edge.
(d) The results sum to exactly 1/2, which means that the particle is as likely to be between
x  0 and L 2 as it is to be between x  L 2 and x  L.
(e) These results are represented in Figure 40.5b in the textbook.
40.45. (a) We set the solutions for inside and outside the well equal to each other at the well boundaries,
x  0 and L.
x  0 : A sin(0)  B  C  B  C, since we must have D  0 for x  0.

2mEL 2mEL
x  L: A sin  B cos   De  L since C  0 for x  L.

2mE
This gives A sin kL  B cos kL  De  L , where k  .

(b) Requiring continuous derivatives at the boundaries yields

dψ
x  0:  kA cos(k  0)  kB sin(k  0)  kA   Cek 0  kA   C
dx

x  L: kAcos kL  kB sin kL   De L .