PH255 Topics for Exam #3
1. What is the Schroedinger equation and what is it used for?
2. What is the normalization condition and why is it important?
3. Can a wavefunction be measured directly for a particle? If not, what can be measured
directly?
4. List and describe the 4 conditions that a wavefunction must satisfy in order to
describe a real particle.
5. Describe the boundary conditions for the infinite square well potential.
6. What happens if a particle in an infinite square well potential is given an energy that
does not correspond to one of the allowed energy states?
7. What unclassical phenomenon was predicted to happen with an electron in a finite
square well potential.
8. What information does calculating the expectation value give you?
9. What unclassical phenomenon was predicted to happen when a particle was incident
on a step potential with energy greater than the step height?
10. What is the physical significance of the reflectance or transmittance for a particle
incident on a step potential?
11. List and briefly describe the four quantum numbers for a bound electron.
12. What is electron spin?
13. What is spin orbit coupling?
14. Briefly describe the Stern-Gerlach experiment and mention the concept that it
demonstrated.
15. Explain why doublets appear in atomic spectra.
16. Explain why some Z>1 element’s valence electrons have a higher ionization energy
than the adjacent element (on the periodic table) with one less proton.
17. What is the Pauli Exclusion Principle and what is its significance in atomic physics?
18. You will need to remember the spectroscopic notation and determine what
information the state label gives you.
19. You will need to remember the selection rules for allowed transitions.
20. You will need to remember the range of allowed quantum numbers.
Equations that you should be familiar with:
c=νλ
EK = ½ mv2
E=hν
h = 6.626 × 10-34 J·s = 4.136 × 10-15 eV·s
R = σ T4
σ = 5.6703 × 10-8 W/m2K4
1
λm T = 2.898 × 10-3 m·K
mn
eVo = h ν - 
2  1 
L  mvr 
h
1  cos  
mec
nh
 nh
2
hv = Ei - Ef
Z 2 E0
En   2 where E0 = 13.6 eV
n
a0 = 0.0529 nm
rn 
1
 1
 R 2  2  for n  m
m n 
n 2 a0
Z
f 
E
h

h
p
n  D sin 
xp  12 h
Et  12 h
Bnuclear  ZM H c 2  Nmn c 2  M Ac 2
N t   N 0e  t
R t   R0e  t where R0  N0
t1 
ln 2

2
 n x  
2
 nx 
sin 

L  L 
2
 x sin x dx 
En  n 2

 2h2
f  x    * f  x dx
2mL2

x2
x
1

sin 2x  2 cos 2x
4 4
8

L  l l  1
x 1
 sin x dx  2  4 sin 2x
2
Lz  mh

S  s s  1
sz  ms h

J 
j  j  1