Probability of finding electron inside bohr radius

The probability of finding the electron at the Bohr radius is maximum and can be calculated by finding the area under the curve of the wavefunction from 0 to the Bohr radius. This can be done mathematically using the integral \int_{0}^{a} \psi_{100}*\psi_{100} dr, where a is the Bohr radius. This can be further simplified to \frac{1}{\pi a^3} \int_{0}^{a} e^{\frac{-2r}{a}} dr. In summary, the probability of finding the electron at the Bohr radius for a hydrogen atom in its ground state can be
  • #1
JayKo
128
0

Homework Statement


Consider an hydrogen atom in its ground state, what is the probability that the electron is found inside the Bohr Radius?


Homework Equations



The probability of finding the electron at bohr radius is maximum. but the probability over the range from 0 to bohr radius, is hard to visualize.

The Attempt at a Solution



http://www.physics.uc.edu/~sitko/CollegePhysicsIII/28-AtomicPhysics/AtomicPhysics_files/image024.jpg
graphically, the probability is area under the curve from 0 to bohr radius, but how to do it mathematically?
 
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  • #2
Hint: The area under the curve [itex]f(x)[/itex] between [itex]x_0[/itex] and [itex]x_1[/itex] is

[tex]\int_{x_0}^{x_1} f(x)dx[/tex]
 
  • #3
gabbagabbahey said:
Hint: The area under the curve [itex]f(x)[/itex] between [itex]x_0[/itex] and [itex]x_1[/itex] is

[tex]\int_{x_0}^{x_1} f(x)dx[/tex]
i know this, is a calculus. but the real things is how to represent the wavefunction of hydrogen atom?

[tex]Probability=\int\psi*\psi dx[/tex]
 
  • #4
The ground state wavefunction for a hydrogen atom is computed (at least approximately) in every introductory QM text I've seen...surely you've come across it before?
 
  • #5
gabbagabbahey said:
The ground state wavefunction for a hydrogen atom is computed (at least approximately) in every introductory QM text I've seen...surely you've come across it before?

alright then, will flip through it, in case i miss out. thanks. by the way, i should be working in spherical coordinate right?
 
  • #6
ok, that would be [tex]\psi_{100}=\frac{1}{\sqrt{\pi a^{3}}e^{\frac{-r}{a}}[/tex]
bingo![itex]\psi_{100}=\frac{1}{\sqrt{\pi a^{3}}e^{\frac{-r}{a}}[/itex]
 
Last edited:

1. What is the probability of finding an electron inside the Bohr radius?

The probability of finding an electron inside the Bohr radius is approximately 0.5, or 50%. This means that there is a 50% chance that an electron will be located within the radius of the first Bohr orbit of an atom.

2. How is the probability of finding an electron inside the Bohr radius calculated?

The probability of finding an electron inside the Bohr radius is calculated using the wave function of the electron, which describes the probability distribution of the electron's position in an atom. The square of the wave function at a specific point represents the probability of finding the electron at that point.

3. Does the probability of finding an electron inside the Bohr radius vary for different atoms?

Yes, the probability of finding an electron inside the Bohr radius varies for different atoms. This is because the size of the first Bohr orbit is dependent on the atomic number of the atom, which in turn affects the wave function and the probability of finding the electron within the radius.

4. What does it mean if the probability of finding an electron inside the Bohr radius is 0?

If the probability of finding an electron inside the Bohr radius is 0, it means that there is no chance of finding the electron within the first Bohr orbit. This could be due to the electron being in a different energy level or being located outside of the atom.

5. Can the probability of finding an electron inside the Bohr radius be greater than 1?

No, the probability of finding an electron inside the Bohr radius cannot be greater than 1. This is because a probability of 1 represents a 100% chance of an event occurring, and it is not possible for an electron to always be located within the first Bohr orbit of an atom.

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