NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY CALICUT

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS
End Semester Examination (Winter 2019-20) - Online
PH1001D - PHYSICS
Duration: 2 hours Total marks: 20

Some useful data: ℎ = 6.626 × 10−34 𝑗. 𝑠, 𝑐 = 3 × 108 𝑚/𝑠, 𝑒 = 1.6 × 10−19 𝐶, 𝑚𝑒 = 9.1 × 10−31 𝑘𝑔,
−23 −27
𝐾 = 1.38 × 10 𝑗/𝑘 , 𝑚𝑝 = 1.67 × 10 𝑘𝑔

Answer all questions

Each question carries 2 marks (10 × 2 = 20 marks)

1) A photon of energy 3 𝑘𝑒𝑉 collides elastically with an electron initially at rest. If the photon
emerges at an angle of 60 𝑜 , calculate the wavelength of the scattered photons and kinetic energy
of the scattered electron.

2) Suppose Fuzzy, a quantum mechanical duck, lives in a world in which Planck’s constant,
ℎ = 2𝜋 𝑗. 𝑠. Fuzzy has a mass of 2 𝑘𝑔 and is initially known to be within a pond 1 𝑚 wide. (a)
What is the minimum uncertainty in the component of the velocity parallel to the width of the
pond? (b) Assuming that this uncertainty in speed prevails for 5 seconds, determine the
uncertainty in its position after this time interval.

3) Consider a one-dimensional particle, which is confined within the region 0 ≤ 𝑥 ≤ 𝑎 and whose
𝜋𝑥
wave function is 𝜓(𝑥, 𝑡) = sin ( ) exp(−𝑖𝜔𝑡). Find the potential 𝑉(𝑥) and calculate the
𝑎
𝑎 3𝑎
probability of finding the particle in the interval 4 ≤ 𝑥 ≤ .
4

𝑥2 𝑑2
4) Is the function 𝜓(𝑥 ) = 𝑐𝑥 exp (− 2 ) is an eigen function of the operator (𝑥 2 − 𝑑𝑥 2) ? Find the
eigen value and normalization constant 𝑐 for the state described by the wave function, when 𝑥
+∞ 2 1 𝜋
varies from −∞ 𝑡𝑜 + ∞ . Given, ∫−∞ 𝑥 2 𝑒 −𝑎𝑥 𝑑𝑥 = 2𝑎 √𝑎

5) Consider a harmonic oscillator potential well in which an electron emits light of wavelength
500 𝑛𝑚 as it jumps from a level to its next lower level. Calculate the spring constant of the
restoring force.

6) Two non-interacting fermions of mass are in an infinite one-dimensional box of length . For
this two particle-system, calculate the lowest total energy. Also obtain the wave function of this
two particle system corresponding to this lowest energy state.

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 7) Consider a rectangular two-dimensional electron gas system with the sides of the box 𝐿𝑥 and 𝐿𝑦 .
To guarantee that no two energy eigenvalues are degenerate, what should be the relation between
𝐿𝑥 and 𝐿𝑦 ? Assume infinitely high potential barriers conditions.

8) A silver metal contains 5.86 × 1028 electrons per unit volume. Estimate the average energy of
the free electrons in silver at 0 𝐾. What temperature is necessary for the average molecular
energy in an ideal gas to have this value?

9) Find the probability for an electron state to be occupied at 20 𝑜 𝐶, if the energies of these states
lie 0.11 𝑒𝑉 above and 0.11 𝑒𝑉 below the Fermi level, respectively.

10) What fraction of 𝐻2 gas at sea level at temperature 300 𝐾 can escape from the earth’s gravitational field?
∞ 2 2 𝑦
Given, the escape velocity of the earth, 𝑉𝑒 = 11.18 𝑘𝑚/𝑠 and ∫𝑦 𝑥 2 𝑒 −𝑥 𝑑𝑥 ≈ 𝑒−𝑦 ( ). Assume 𝐻2
2
gas obeys ideal gas characteristics.

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