Collisional excitation minimum velocity

AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around calculating the minimum speed of an electron that strikes a sodium atom, resulting in the emission of a photon with a wavelength of 818 nm. The initial calculations using energy conservation yield a speed of approximately 730 km/s, which is deemed incorrect by Mastering Physics. Participants suggest that the discrepancy may arise from not accounting for the momentum conservation and the energy imparted to the sodium atom post-collision. Despite efforts to refine the calculations, the correct answer is identified as 1.16 x 10^6 m/s, leaving contributors puzzled about the methodology to arrive at this value. The conversation highlights the complexities involved in collision physics and the importance of precision in calculations.
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Homework Statement


A sodium atom emits a photon with wavelength 818 nm shortly after being struck by an electron. What minimum speed did the electron have before the collision?

Homework Equations


E_{particle}\geq\Delta E_{atom}

The Attempt at a Solution


For the minimum energy, E_{particle}=\Delta E_{atom}, and because the photon was emitted due to the collision:
\frac{m_ev^2}{2}=\frac{hc}{\lambda}
m_ev^2=\frac{2hc}{\lambda}
v=\sqrt{\frac{2hc}{m_e \lambda}}
v=\sqrt{\frac{2 \times 1239.842 \mathrm{eV} \times \mathrm{nm}}{9.11 \times 10^{-31} \times 818 \mathrm{nm} \times \mathrm{kg}}}

When I evaluate this, I get .73 \times 10^6 \frac{\mathrm m}{\mathrm s}, which Mastering Physics tells me is wrong. Is there something obvious I'm missing here?
 
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The sodium atom will move after the collision, this needs some energy. I don't know which precision is required here.
 
Okay, so if I look at the collision from the perspective of conservation of momentum, and I say M is the mass of the sodium atom, I get that m_ev_0+0M=m_ev_{post e}+Mv_{post Na}.
If I take the minimum energy, v_{poste}=0. That implies that the velocity of the sodium after the collision: v_{pS}=\frac{m_ev_0}{M}. Then I think I have to assume that E_{imparted}=E_{electron}-E_{Na}?
If I assume that, I get that E_{Na}=\frac{m_e^2v_0^2}{2M}, which implies that \frac{hc}{\lambda}=v_0^2\frac{2Mm_e-2m_e^2}{4M} which would imply that v_0^2=\frac{hc}{\lambda}\frac{4M}{2Mm_e-2m_e^2}, which gives me v_0=730192 \frac{\mathrm{m}}{\mathrm{s}}, which Mastering Physics also says is wrong.
Help?
 
Hmm... I agree with your value of ~730km/s, and as you calculated, those corrections are small. I really don't know which precision Mastering Physics wants (maybe it is just a matter of the correct input format?). For the minimal energy, both the nucleus and the electron should have the same velocity afterwards, and the photon will carry some momentum. Those are really tiny modifications of the result, however.
 
Well, apparently the answer was v_0=1.16 \times 10^6 \frac{\mathrm{m}}{\mathrm{s}}, which I have absolutely no idea how they got.
Anyone have any ideas?
 
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