Average Potential Energy of a hydrogen 1s electron

[condiboy]

I can't find any reference to this in my notes.

The problem is to calculate the average potential energy of a hydrogen 1s electron. The operator is V=e² /4piE₀r

 

[Dickfore]

you forgot a minus sign. Also, what's the commutator of H and V?

 

[condiboy]

good call on the minus sign. There's no mention of the commutator on the worksheet, is that necessary to know before doing the problem? I thought that the Hamiltonian operator for a hydrogen atom was -Hbar^2/2u-e^2/r. I'm really confused

 

[alxm]

I'll give a hint: How do you calculate the expectation value of an operator? I suspect that's what they want you to do.

 

[Dickfore]

alxm is right. I wanted you to use a method called the virial theorem in QM, but it might be too complicated.