Minimum energy of electron bound in nucleus

Join the discussion
Registration is free. Ask a follow-up in this thread, or start your own.
1 reply · 4K views
phosgene
Messages
145
Reaction score
1

Homework Statement



An electron is confined to a nucleus of radius 4 femtometres. Estimate its minimum energy.

Homework Equations



[itex]ΔxΔp_x=h/4\pi[/itex]
[itex]E^2=p^2c^2 + m^2c^4[/itex]

As the electron's rest energy will be much less than it's kinetic energy,

[itex]E=pc[/itex]

The Attempt at a Solution



So I understand that I'm supposed to use the uncertainty principle to find the average momentum, and then plug it into the energy equation. What I don't understand is that the solutions use Δpx/2 instead of just Δpx. Why is this?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
I think that Δpx/2 in both directions gives a difference of Δpx, which is "somehow" equivalent to a momentum uncertainty.
Using Δpx is probably fine, too.