Recent content by emperrotta

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    Expectation value for radius of an electron in a hydrogen atom

    Thank you everyone so far. I think I am getting there. So the way I understand it, a bound electron's position can never be fully pinpointed. The best we can do is use Schrodinger's Equation to form a wave function for the electron's probability of being in certain places at a given time...
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    Expectation value for radius of an electron in a hydrogen atom

    I am not sure what you mean by "has bigger expectation value." I think the biggest thing I am struggling with is whether or not an electron has some sort of orbit, just not the clean circular orbit we learned about when we were younger. Isn't an electron a particle with mass, albeit a very...
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    Expectation value for radius of an electron in a hydrogen atom

    I am new to Quantum Mechanics. In my University Physics class, we discussed the concepts of matter waves and the electron cloud. In describing an electron as a probability wave, is that a way of saying that an electron in an atom is a particle that does not move in any clear path such as the...
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    Matter Waves & Electron Traps: Angular Momentum Explained

    I am currently reading about matter waves and electron traps. the textbook states, by the equation: hf = \DeltaE = Ehigh - Elow If an electron confined to a one-dimensional infinite potential well is to absorb a photon, the energy hf of the photon must equal the energy difference...
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    Why can't an object move at the speed of light

    I have looked through some of the threads which discuss the fact that an object cannot move at the speed of light because it would require an infinite amount of energy. What allows us to state that it requires an infinite amount of energy? Is it because if an object were moving at the speed of...
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    Diverging Spherical Lens Proof

    Homework Statement Using the thin-lens equation and the magnification factor, show that for a spherical diverging lens the image of a real object is always virtual, upright, and reduced? Homework Equations Thin lens equation 1/p + 1/i = 1/f p = distance of object from the lens i =...
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    Kinetic Theory of Gases & Escape Speed

    Homework Statement In the first 2 parts of the problem, I calculated at what temperatures the rms speeds vrms of H2 molecules and O2 molecules would equal the escape speed of Earth (11200 m/s). The answers I calculated for this were 10000 K for H2 and 160000 K for O2. Those answers are...
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    Carnot engines and refrigerators

    How does increasing the pressure of a gas increase the boiling point of the gas?
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    Carnot engines and refrigerators

    Homework Statement I am not necessarily having a problem with a particular homework problem. It is more of a conceptual issue. I have been reading about Carnot engines and refrigerators. In trying to understand the topic better, I did a little more digging and looked up how a refrigerator...
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    Specific heat lab question

    For my most recent lab, the goal was to find the specific heat of lead metal shot. The procedure of the experiment consisted of using the method of mixtures. In this procedure, the room temperature Tr is first measured. Then, an insulated calorimeter cup is filled with water, and the...
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