Unit 16: Modern Physics Relativity, Quantum and Nuclear Physics
Reading
BJU book: Ch. 27, 28, 29
Lab
Transistor Switching lab (our final circuit-build lab)
Homework
Relativity homework questions, taken from Ch. 27 in your book. These are hosted in Canvas.
BJU book: Ch. 27, 28, 29
Lab
Transistor Switching lab (our final circuit-build lab)
Homework
Relativity homework questions, taken from Ch. 27 in your book. These are hosted in Canvas.
Transistor Switching lab
Your lab report for this lab has 5 required 'elements', which are listed in Canvas. Your report must have all 5.
- We will explore how transistors work as switches and amplifiers, by making circuits using transistors
- We will measure the current gain (IE/IB) of the 2N2222 transistor, and discuss what that means
Your lab report for this lab has 5 required 'elements', which are listed in Canvas. Your report must have all 5.
| transistor_switching_lab_handout.pdf |
Quantum Physics chapter notes
A photon is simply a packet of light (or other electromagnetic energy). The energy E of a photon is given by E=hf where h is Planck's constant and f is the frequency. Planck's constant is 6.6 x 10^-34 J-s, but also can be expressed in electron volts as 4.1 x 10^-15 eV-s. Therefore, you can say 1 eV = 1.6 x 10^-19 J. The frequency f is in cycles/s, otherwise known as Hertz (Hz).
Velocity of a wave is frequency x wavelength v = fλ . This is basic wave mechanics that we learned a long time ago. Furthermore, light moves at 3 x 10^8 m/s, so you can set v = c = 3.0 x 10^8 m/s. The wave equation when you are talking about light becomes c = fλ and can be rearranged as f = cλ or λ = cf .
Bohr said that you have energy levels within a hydrogen atom (n=1, n=2, n=3), and the single electron in the H atom can only occupy these discreet energy levels or 'orbitals'. The orbital closest to the nucleus is n=1, and the numbers get bigger as you go outward. When an electron jumps down a level (from example from n=2 to n=1), it emits a photon having that much energy. Therefore, in order to jump up a level (or two, or three levels), it must absorb a photon having sufficient energy. If the incoming photon doesn't have enough energy (i.e. high enough frequency), it won't elevate the electron to a higher level. Like I said above, the energy of a photon is given by this equation E = hf, and therefore the higher the frequency is, the more energy that photon will possess. The energy can be calculated in Joules (a really big unit of energy) or electron volts (a really small unit of energy). I gave you the conversion factor above, so you can convert between J and eV easily. Another thing: the total energy E of each 'orbital' is stated as a negative number, just like you would expect from thermodynamics: the closer an electron is to the nucleus, the larger the negative number becomes, because it's sitting in a larger 'energy hole'. So, for example, n=1 might be -100 eV and n=3 might be -11 eV. Anyway, you need to read up on this and be familiar with it before starting the homework. If you don't understand the Bohr atom, and how to calculate the energy of a photon, you won't be able to do the homework.
For a couple of the homework questions, you need to know that the radius of a given energy level n (n=1, n=2, etc) within the Bohr atom is directly proportional to n^2. In other words, radius ∝ n^2. That means n=2 would have a radius 4 times larger than n=1, and n=3 would have a radius 9 times larger than n=1, and so on. ALSO, the total energy of a given energy level n is inversely proportional to -n^2. In other words, energy ∝ 1/-n^2. So for example if n=1 was -100 eV, then n=2 would be -25 eV, and n=3 would be -11 eV. If you kept going out from the nucleus, n(infinity) would have total energy = 0.
In summary, the concepts from this chapter are new, but the math is easy and straight forward.
A photon is simply a packet of light (or other electromagnetic energy). The energy E of a photon is given by E=hf where h is Planck's constant and f is the frequency. Planck's constant is 6.6 x 10^-34 J-s, but also can be expressed in electron volts as 4.1 x 10^-15 eV-s. Therefore, you can say 1 eV = 1.6 x 10^-19 J. The frequency f is in cycles/s, otherwise known as Hertz (Hz).
Velocity of a wave is frequency x wavelength v = fλ . This is basic wave mechanics that we learned a long time ago. Furthermore, light moves at 3 x 10^8 m/s, so you can set v = c = 3.0 x 10^8 m/s. The wave equation when you are talking about light becomes c = fλ and can be rearranged as f = cλ or λ = cf .
Bohr said that you have energy levels within a hydrogen atom (n=1, n=2, n=3), and the single electron in the H atom can only occupy these discreet energy levels or 'orbitals'. The orbital closest to the nucleus is n=1, and the numbers get bigger as you go outward. When an electron jumps down a level (from example from n=2 to n=1), it emits a photon having that much energy. Therefore, in order to jump up a level (or two, or three levels), it must absorb a photon having sufficient energy. If the incoming photon doesn't have enough energy (i.e. high enough frequency), it won't elevate the electron to a higher level. Like I said above, the energy of a photon is given by this equation E = hf, and therefore the higher the frequency is, the more energy that photon will possess. The energy can be calculated in Joules (a really big unit of energy) or electron volts (a really small unit of energy). I gave you the conversion factor above, so you can convert between J and eV easily. Another thing: the total energy E of each 'orbital' is stated as a negative number, just like you would expect from thermodynamics: the closer an electron is to the nucleus, the larger the negative number becomes, because it's sitting in a larger 'energy hole'. So, for example, n=1 might be -100 eV and n=3 might be -11 eV. Anyway, you need to read up on this and be familiar with it before starting the homework. If you don't understand the Bohr atom, and how to calculate the energy of a photon, you won't be able to do the homework.
For a couple of the homework questions, you need to know that the radius of a given energy level n (n=1, n=2, etc) within the Bohr atom is directly proportional to n^2. In other words, radius ∝ n^2. That means n=2 would have a radius 4 times larger than n=1, and n=3 would have a radius 9 times larger than n=1, and so on. ALSO, the total energy of a given energy level n is inversely proportional to -n^2. In other words, energy ∝ 1/-n^2. So for example if n=1 was -100 eV, then n=2 would be -25 eV, and n=3 would be -11 eV. If you kept going out from the nucleus, n(infinity) would have total energy = 0.
In summary, the concepts from this chapter are new, but the math is easy and straight forward.