SPHA031 Online Assignment No 1

1.1. A free particle has constant potential energy everywhere so mathematically:

(a) E = 0
(b) V = 0
(c) K = 0
(d) T = 0

1.2. Which of the following statements correctly describe the free particle in quantum
mechanics?
(a) The energy states of the free particle are quantized, so no value is possible.
(b) The energy states of the free particle are quantized, so any value is possible.
(c) The energy states of the free particle are not quantized, so no value is possible.
(d) The energy states of the free particle are not quantized, so any value is possible.
1.3. Consider a wavefunction defined by:

0 𝑥𝑥 < 0
𝜓𝜓(𝑥𝑥) = 𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴(𝐿𝐿 − 𝑥𝑥)� 0 ≤ 𝑥𝑥 ≤ 𝐿𝐿 .
0 𝑥𝑥 > 𝐿𝐿
5
The product of the normalisation constant 𝐴𝐴 and 𝐿𝐿2 is equal to:
(a) √24
(b) √12
(c) √15
(d) √30
Solution:
+∞
For normalisation: ∫−∞ 𝜓𝜓(𝑥𝑥)∗ 𝜓𝜓(𝑥𝑥)𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 = 1
𝐿𝐿
⟹ ∫0 𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴(𝐿𝐿 − 𝑥𝑥)𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴(𝐿𝐿 − 𝑥𝑥)𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 = 1
𝐿𝐿
⟹ 𝐴𝐴2 ∫0 (𝑥𝑥 2 𝐿𝐿2 − 2𝑥𝑥 3 𝐿𝐿 + 𝑥𝑥 4 ) 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 = 1
𝐿𝐿 𝐿𝐿 𝐿𝐿
⟹ 𝐴𝐴2 ∫0 𝑥𝑥 2 𝐿𝐿2 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 − 2𝐴𝐴2 ∫0 𝑥𝑥 3 𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿 + 𝐴𝐴2 ∫0 𝑥𝑥 4 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 = 1
1 𝐿𝐿 1 𝐿𝐿 1 𝐿𝐿
⟹ 𝐴𝐴2 3 𝑥𝑥 3 𝐿𝐿2 � − 2𝐴𝐴2 4 𝑥𝑥 4 𝐿𝐿� + 𝐴𝐴2 5 𝑥𝑥 5 � = 1
0 0 0
2 1 1 1 5
⟹ 𝐴𝐴 � − + � 𝐿𝐿 = 1
3 2 5
1
⟹ 𝐴𝐴 � � 𝐿𝐿5
2
=1
30
2 30
⟹ 𝐴𝐴 = 5
𝐿𝐿
 30 √30 5�
⟹ 𝐴𝐴 = � = = √30𝐿𝐿− 2
𝐿𝐿5 √𝐿𝐿5
5� 5� 5�
So multiplying 𝐴𝐴 by 𝐿𝐿 2 gives √30𝐿𝐿− 2 𝐿𝐿 2 = √30.

1.4. Suppose the visible light of wavelength 𝜆𝜆 = 500 nm is used to determine the position of
an electron to within the wavelength of light. What is the minimum uncertainty in the
electron’s speed?
(a) ∆𝜐𝜐 = 1.158 ms −1
(b) ∆𝜐𝜐 = 11.58 ms−1
(c) ∆𝜐𝜐 = 115.8 ms−1
(d) ∆𝜐𝜐 = 1158 ms −1
Solution:

from the uncertainty relation ∆𝑥𝑥∆𝑝𝑝 ≥ ℏ�2

ℏ ℏ
we have ∆𝑝𝑝 = 𝑚𝑚∆𝜐𝜐 ; ∆𝑥𝑥∆𝜐𝜐 ≥ 2𝑚𝑚 ; ∆𝜐𝜐 ≥ 2𝑚𝑚∆𝑥𝑥 ;

but ∆𝑥𝑥 ≈ 𝜆𝜆 ≈ 5 × 10−7 m ,

1 6.626×10−34
then ∆𝜐𝜐 ≥ 4𝜋𝜋 (9.11×10−31 )(5×10−7 ) ;

∆𝜐𝜐 = 115.79 m/s

1.5. Consider an electron inside the potential well of dimension 8.9 nm wide. The ground
state energy of this electron is closest to:
(a) 0.0086 eV
(b) 0.0066 eV
(c) 0.0056 eV
(d) 0.0046 eV
Solution:
𝑛𝑛2 𝜋𝜋 2 ℏ2
For an infinite potential well: 𝐸𝐸 = 2𝑚𝑚𝑎𝑎2

𝜋𝜋 2 ℏ2 ℎ2
At ground state 𝑛𝑛 = 1 which implies: 𝐸𝐸 = 2𝑚𝑚𝑎𝑎2 = 8𝑚𝑚𝑎𝑎2
2
�4.135×10−15 𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒�
⟹ 𝐸𝐸 = 𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀
8�0.511 2 �(8.9×10−9 m)2
𝑐𝑐

2
�4.135×10−15 𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒� (2.995×108 m𝑠𝑠−1 )2
⟹ 𝐸𝐸 = 8(0.511×106 eV)(8.9×10−9 m)2
 1.537×10−12
⟹ 𝐸𝐸 = 3.238×10−10 eV = 4.75 × 10−3 eV = 0.00475eV = 4.75meV

1.6. Which of the following statements correctly describe dispersive waves?

(a) In dispersion relation 𝜔𝜔 = 𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐, the frequency of the propagating wave is independent
of the wavelength.
(b) In dispersion relation 𝜔𝜔 = 𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐, the velocity of the propagating wave is depending on
the wave number.
(c) In the dispersion relation 𝜔𝜔 = 𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐, the frequency of the propagating wave is
depending on the wavelength.
(d) In the dispersion relation 𝜔𝜔 = 𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐, the velocity of the propagating wave is
independent of the wave number.

1.7. Which of the following is not a correct description of the dispersive waves?
𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑
(a) The wave packet has a group velocity defined by 𝜐𝜐𝑔𝑔 = 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑
.
(b) The wave packet formed from such waves propagates without changing shape or size as
the velocity is constant.
(c) The group velocity explain the motion of a localized disturbance duo to constructive
interference of two or more waves.
(d) If the wave packet has a narrow range of wave numbers 𝑘𝑘 − ∆𝑘𝑘 to 𝑘𝑘 + ∆𝑘𝑘, the velocity
of propagation is well defined.
1.8. Some water waves with density 𝜌𝜌 are experiencing surface tension 𝑇𝑇 so that the
𝑇𝑇𝑘𝑘 3
dispersion relation is defined by 𝜔𝜔 = � . 𝑘𝑘 is the wave number. The phase velocity is
𝜌𝜌
defined by:
𝑇𝑇𝑘𝑘 2
(a) 𝜐𝜐𝑝𝑝ℎ𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 = � 𝜌𝜌

𝑇𝑇𝑇𝑇
(b) 𝜐𝜐𝑝𝑝ℎ𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 = � 𝜌𝜌

𝑇𝑇𝑇𝑇
(c) 𝜐𝜐𝑝𝑝ℎ𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 = 3� 𝜌𝜌

1 𝑇𝑇𝑇𝑇
(d) 𝜐𝜐𝑝𝑝ℎ𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 = 3 � 𝜌𝜌

Solution:
𝜔𝜔
𝜐𝜐𝑝𝑝ℎ𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 =
𝑘𝑘
𝑇𝑇𝑘𝑘3
�
𝜌𝜌
⟹ 𝜐𝜐𝑝𝑝ℎ𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 = 𝑘𝑘
𝑇𝑇𝑇𝑇
⟹ 𝜐𝜐𝑝𝑝ℎ𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 = � 𝜌𝜌
1.9. The mathematical form of a wave packet formed by linear superposition of sinusoidal
waves with constant amplitude A and wave number in the range 𝑘𝑘 − ∆𝑘𝑘 to 𝑘𝑘 + ∆𝑘𝑘 is:
𝑡𝑡+Δ𝑡𝑡
(a) 𝜓𝜓(𝑥𝑥, 𝑡𝑡) = ∫𝑡𝑡−Δ𝑡𝑡 𝐴𝐴 cos(𝑘𝑘 ′ 𝑥𝑥 − 𝜔𝜔′𝑡𝑡) 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑′
𝑘𝑘+Δ𝑘𝑘
(b) 𝜓𝜓(𝑥𝑥, 𝑡𝑡) = ∫𝑘𝑘−Δ𝑘𝑘 𝐴𝐴 cos(𝑘𝑘 ′ 𝑥𝑥 − 𝜔𝜔′𝑡𝑡) 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑′
𝑥𝑥+Δ𝑥𝑥
(c) 𝜓𝜓(𝑥𝑥, 𝑡𝑡) = ∫𝑥𝑥−Δ𝑥𝑥 𝐴𝐴 cos(𝑘𝑘 ′ 𝑥𝑥 − 𝜔𝜔′𝑡𝑡) 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑′
𝜔𝜔+Δ𝜔𝜔
(d) 𝜓𝜓(𝑥𝑥, 𝑡𝑡) = ∫𝜔𝜔−Δ𝜔𝜔 𝐴𝐴 cos(𝑘𝑘 ′ 𝑥𝑥 − 𝜔𝜔′𝑡𝑡) 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑′

1.10. Consider an electron of rest mass 511 keV/c2 and energy 2.0 x 10-5 eV in a lithium
orbit. The de Broglie wavelength of this electron is:
(a) 274 nm
(b) 274 mm
(c) 274 μm
(d) 274 pm

Solution:

ℎ
𝜆𝜆 =
√2𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚
ℎ
𝜆𝜆 = 511keV
�2( )(2.0 ×10−5 eV)
𝑐𝑐2

ℎ𝑐𝑐
𝜆𝜆 =
�2(511×103 eV)(2.0×10−5 eV)

1.24×10−6 eV.m
𝜆𝜆 = 4.521 eV

𝜆𝜆 = 2.74 × 10−7 m = 274 × 10−9 m = 274 nm