Uncertainty principle and an electron

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around applying the uncertainty principle to analyze the behavior of an electron confined within an atomic nucleus, specifically addressing the implications of its confinement on its speed and relativistic effects.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Conceptual clarification

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the relationship between position uncertainty and momentum, questioning how to derive speed from momentum while considering relativistic effects. Some participants suggest alternative approaches to characterize relativistic speeds without directly solving for speed.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing with various participants offering hints and exploring different aspects of the problem. There is a focus on understanding the implications of relativistic speeds and the role of the Lorentz factor, with no clear consensus reached yet.

Contextual Notes

Participants are navigating the constraints of the problem, including the requirement to demonstrate relativistic behavior and the implications of the uncertainty principle. There is an emphasis on understanding the definitions and relationships involved rather than arriving at a final solution.

thenewbosco
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question is:
use the uncertainty principle to show that if an electron were confined inside and atomic nucleus, diameter of [tex]2 x 10^{-15}m[/tex], it would have to be moving relativistically i.e. more than 0.1c.
what i have done is the following:
[tex]\Delta x \Delta p = \frac{\hbar}{2}[/tex]
then i set [tex]\Delta x = 2 x 10^{-15}[/tex] and solved for [tex]\Delta p[/tex]

from this i don't know how to solve for the speed, i considered replacing [tex]\Delta p[/tex] with [tex]\gamma m\Delta v[/tex] but this doesn't seem to work with the gamma in there.
what is a better way to solve this?
thanks
 
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Must you actually solve for the speed? [it can be done, since you can write [tex]\gamma[/tex] in terms of v... but do you need to?]
While v>0.1c may characterize "relativistic", is there another way?
 
this was the hint that was given, that relativistic speeds were > 0.1c, but if you could give me a hint on comparing something else it would be appreciated.
 
What is the corresponding inequality for [tex]\gamma[/tex]?
 
i don't know of anything similar, but gamma will be less than or equal to 1. is this close to the right track?
 
Find [itex]\frac{\gamma v}{c}[/itex] (= [itex]\frac{\Delta p}{mc}[/itex])

Squre both sides and solve for v/c.
 
gamma will be less than or equal to 1.

v < c
Therefore, gamma > 1
 
Last edited:

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