Chemistry 120A Problem Set 3

Due Feb. 12, 2016

(The largest observed iron meteorite until that time creates an impact crater in the
Soviet Union - 1947)
1. Suppose the wave-function for a free particle of mass m in one dimension with
coordinate x is
2
2
(x) = c ex /4a ,
where c and a are constants.
(a) Determine the normalization constant, c, in terms of the length a.
(b) Estimate the uncertainty in the particles momentum, p. Do the calculation
by applying the wave function to compute the root-mean square, h(phpi)2 i1/2 ,
where p = (~/i) d/dx. Compare the result of that calculation with an application of the uncertainty principle, x p ~
(c) Estimate the total energy of the particle. Again, do the calculation by applying
the wave function to compute the expectation value of the Hamiltonian, and
compare that result with an estimate based upon the uncertainty principle.

2. A particle in a one-dimensional box is prepared at state n = 2.

(a) If one partitions the box to three equal portions, what is the probability of
finding the particle in the central portion?
(b) Determine the position(s) of minimum and maximum probability.

3. Consider 1 (x) and 2 (x), the stationary state wave functions for the ground state
and first excited state, respectively, of a particle of mass m in a one-dimensional
box of length `.
(a) Show by explicit integration that these two stationary states are orthogonal.
(b) For each of these stationary states, estimate the probability that the particle
will be found within a distance of 0.02` from either side of the mid-point of
the box. [For ease of computation, you can use a Taylor series, being careful
to justify that the parameter ordering the expansion is indeed small.]
(c) For the non-stationary state (x, t) initially prepared so that
(x, 0)

1
1 (x) + 2 (x) ,
2

determine the probability as a function of time that the particle will be found
within a distance of 0.02` from the left side of the box.

4. Consider a particle of mass m constrained to move on a circle of radius R:

~2 2 ()
= E()
2I 2

where I = mR2 is the moment of inertia and is the angle that describes the
position of the particle on the circle.
(a) Show that () = Aein are the solutions to the equation.
(b) Normalize the wave function and find A.
R 2
(c) Show that 0 dn ()m () = nm .
(d) Show that En = n2 ~2 /2I. What are the possible values of n?
(e) Suppose that we prepare the particle in a non-stationary state where its timedependent wave function (, t) is initially (, 0) sin() 12 sin(3).
i. We then measure its energy. What is the probability of observing the value
~2
?
2I
= i~ d/d. Determine the expecii. The angular momentum operator is L
tation value of the angular momentum of the wavefunction at t = 0.
(f) Show thatPthe general solution to the time-dependent Schrodinger equation is
2
(, t) =
n= cn exp [in i(n ~/2I)t], where the cn s are constants.