Chemistry 110A

Homework Week 1: Due Friday April 1, 2016

Professor McCurdy
This week the problems are straight-forward exercises from McQuarrie and Simon
intended to review concepts from freshman chemistry and elementary math that
will not be covered in class.
1. 1-7 in McQuarrie Sirius, one of the hottest known stars, has approximately a
blackbody spectrum with max = 260 nm. Estimate the surface temperature of Sirius.
See also problem 1-5 and the discussion on page 5 of the text on black body radiation.

2. 1-11 in McQuarrie
Calculate the number of photons in a 2.00 mJ light pulse at (a)
1060 nm (1.06 microns) (b) 537 nm, and (c) 266 nm.

Hint: E = h =hc/ is the energy of one photon, and 2 mJ (mJ = millijoule) contains very
many. As an aside, it's worth knowing that expensive, but commercially available TiSaphire lasers can deliver 30 mJ pulses of ~30 fs duration at 800 nm (near infrared at
the red edge of the visible spectrum). That's 15 times the energy in this problem. The
duration of the pulse of a given total energy doesn't change the number of photons, but it
does change the photon flux (photons per second per unit area).
3. 1-16 in McQuarrie The threshold wavelength for potassium metal is 564 nm. What is
its work function in electron volts (eV)? What is the kinetic energy (in eV) of electrons
ejected if radiation of wavelength 410 nm is used?
The photoeffect appeared in the early weeks of general chemistry, this is a reminder of
that important concept, and getting the units right is a good exercise.
4. Elementary complex variable exercises. Its high school math, but we will use it
every day:
A-3 Express each of the following complex numbers in the form re i with numerical
values for r and :
(a) 4i

(b) -1 -2i

(c) 1 + 2i

Careful, (b) and (c) are

different!

e i + e i
e i e i
A-6 Show that cos =
and sin =
2
2i

Hint: Begin from the Euler identity exp(i) = cos() + i sin()

A-9 Consider the set of functions

1 im
m ( ) =
e
2
with

m = 0, 1, 2
0 < 2

First show that

( ) = 0 for all values of m 0

= 2

for m = 0

Now show
that

*
m

( ) n ( ) = 0 for a m n

= 1 for m = n
Hint: !!! = 1 and so any integer power of it is also = 1

5. Quantum interference is a consequence of the mathematical principle demonstrated

in the last problem in this set:
2-8 in McQuarrie Consider the linear second-order differential equation

or equivalently

d2
d
y ( x ) + a0 (x)y ( x ) = 0
2 y ( x ) + a1 (x)
dx
dx
" d2
%
d
$ 2 + a1 (x) + a0 (x)' y( x) = 0
dx
# dx
&

This equation is linear because y(x) and its derivatives appear only to the first power and
there are no cross terms. It does not have constant coefficients, however, and there is no
for solving it like there is if the coefficients are not functions of x.
general simple method
Prove that if y1 ( x ) and y 2 ( x ) are any two solutions of this equation, then a linear
combination of them, then the function y(x)

y(x) = c1 y1 ( x ) + c 2 y 2 ( x )

where c1 and c2 are constants,is also a solution. This requires only a few lines.
You have just shownthat a linear superposition of solutions is also a solution to a
linear homogeneous differential equation. The two solutions interfere then in the new
solution y(x).

Mathematica/MATLAB problem -- Not due with Problem set 1. Do it now if you

can, to make the connection with the concepts in Chapter 1.
Multiplying the Planck distribution given in the text by (c/4) gives the radiated power
(which can be measured in Watts) per unit area per unit frequency. Doing that converts
equation 1.2 in McQuarrie's text to

c 8 h 3
(T )d =
d
4 c 3 e h /kBT 1
Use Mathematica or MATLAB to integrate this expression from = 0 to = to get the
radiated power per unit area. Write your answer in the form (P means power, A is area)

P
=
A

(T )d = T

some power

and show that your constant, , has the units of Watts/(m2 Ksome power).
This is the law that determines the rate at which things cool by radiating away energy as
electromagnetic radiation (things like your coffee cup or a planet). It's called the StefanBoltzmann law, and the constant is the Stefan-Boltzmann constant, which you can look
up to see if you got the right answer (including the correct "some power").
McQuarrie gives this problem in 1-42 to be done by hand, and he gives you the basic
integral. Mathematica does this easily, and you can do it in two or three lines, if you
know how to use the Integrate[] command.