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PHY 3201 Quantum Physics I (2005-06)

Homework 1
DUE: 4:30pm, September 20, 2005
Please work out your steps in detail. Discussion with your fellow classmates is fine but you should
do your homework on your own and NO copying of homework is allowed.

1. (TZD 3.12)
It is found that the radius R of any nucleus is given approximately by

R = R0 A1/3
where A is the mass number of the nucleus and R0 is a constant whose value depends a little
on how R is defined, but is about 1.1 fm (femto-meter = 10−15 m). (You will learn about this
in PHY 3202.) (a) What are the radii of the nuclei of helium, carbon, iron, and lead. (b) How
does the volume of a nucleus (assumed spherical) depend on A? What does your answer tell
you about the average mass density of nuclei? (c) Estimate the typical order of magnitude of
the mass density inside a nucleus.

2. (TZD 3.44)
In one version of Thomson’s measurement of e/m, electrons originally at rest are accelerated
through a measured potential difference V0 . They are then passed into a known magnetic field
B, which points in the direction perpendicular to the direction of their motion. The radius
R of their circular orbit is measured. Derive an expression for e/m in terms of the measured
quantities V0 , B and R.

3. (TZD 3.47)
The Rutherford model of the atom could explain the large-angle scattering of alpha particles
because it led to very large electric field compared to the Thomson model. To see this, note
that in the Thomson model the positive charge of an atom was uniformly distributed through a
sphere of the same size as the atom itself. According to this model, what would be the maximum
E field (in volts/meter) produced by the positive charge in a gold atom (Z = 79, atomic radius
≈ 0.18 nm)? What is the corresponding maximum field in Rutherford’s model of the gold atom,
with the positive charge confined to a sphere of radius about 8 fm?

4. (SMM Problem 9, Chapter 4)

It is observed that alpha particles with kinetic energies of 13.9 MeV and higher, incident on
copper foils, do not obey Rutherford’s (sin φ/2)−4 law. Estimate the nuclear size of copper from
this observation, assuming that the copper nucleus remains fixed in a head-on collision with an
alpha particle.

5. Start with Planck’s formula for blackbody radiation. (a) Derive the Stefan-Boltzmann law
etotal = σT 4 . (b) Express the constant σ in terms of the fundamental constants h, c, and kB ,
and get a numerical value for it. (c) Derive Wien’s displacement law λm T = constant. (d)
Express the constant in terms of the fundamental constants h,c, and kB , and obtain a numerical
value for it.

P.T.O.
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6. (TZD 3.45)