Difference between revisions of "PCh9 Lec 3"
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(Created page with "(4/15/20, bes) Greetings, :- If you have not checked your email, please read the note i sent yesterday...do it now. :- and about those exams...i am finding it hard to grade e...") |
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:- and about those exams...i am finding it hard to grade exams...i know it is something i should do, but i would much rather generate content like the notes below. I will get these done by the end of the week. | :- and about those exams...i am finding it hard to grade exams...i know it is something i should do, but i would much rather generate content like the notes below. I will get these done by the end of the week. | ||
| − | We will continue with our Ch 9 discussion of the hydrogen atom and specifically the wavefunctions. Although i am hesitant to give away the punchline, i will do so, the hydrogen atom is the first and last element that can be completely solved by quantum mechanics...WHAT???...yes, although we can solve the Schrodinger Equation for the hydrogen atom, when we add a second electron (Ch 10) to the atom, we can no longer solve the Schrodinger equation. So why did we do all of this? It turns out that QM provides a foundation in which approximations can be made to solve many of the chemistry related problems. The "approximations" are pulled into QM within the computational chemistry models (Ch 15). I will | + | We will continue with our Ch 9 discussion of the hydrogen atom and specifically the wavefunctions. Although i am hesitant to give away the punchline, i will do so, the hydrogen atom is the first and last element that can be completely solved by quantum mechanics...WHAT???...yes, although we can solve the Schrodinger Equation for the hydrogen atom, when we add a second electron (Ch 10) to the atom, we can no longer solve the Schrodinger equation. So why did we do all of this? It turns out that QM provides a foundation in which approximations can be made to solve many of the chemistry related problems. The "approximations" are pulled into QM within the computational chemistry models (Ch 15). I will get to wavefunctions soon, but i have opened a small can of worms that i feel we must purse in order to clarify the above mentioned issue...in keeping with my ability to move tangentially within a lecture...ie. going off-track! |
| − | + | :- Did you know that although Einstein (and the photoelectric effect) was one of the foundational experiments that lead to QM, he did not "like" QM...the following video is quite interesting. If you don't know who [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Alda Alan Alda] is, he was the main character in a the 1972 TV series [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M*A*S*H_(TV_series) M*A*S*H] who has become very interested in promoting science within the public arena. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Greene Brian Greene] is a theoretical physicist and similar to the more popular [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_deGrasse_Tyson Niel deGrasse Tyson] who has done a lot to educate the public about complex science topics. Have a look at this interview... | |
[https://youtu.be/HneFM-BvZj4 Brian Greene and Alan Alda Discuss Why Einstein Hated Quantum Mechanics] | [https://youtu.be/HneFM-BvZj4 Brian Greene and Alan Alda Discuss Why Einstein Hated Quantum Mechanics] | ||
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Revision as of 13:29, 15 April 2020
(4/15/20, bes)
Greetings,
- - If you have not checked your email, please read the note i sent yesterday...do it now.
- - and about those exams...i am finding it hard to grade exams...i know it is something i should do, but i would much rather generate content like the notes below. I will get these done by the end of the week.
We will continue with our Ch 9 discussion of the hydrogen atom and specifically the wavefunctions. Although i am hesitant to give away the punchline, i will do so, the hydrogen atom is the first and last element that can be completely solved by quantum mechanics...WHAT???...yes, although we can solve the Schrodinger Equation for the hydrogen atom, when we add a second electron (Ch 10) to the atom, we can no longer solve the Schrodinger equation. So why did we do all of this? It turns out that QM provides a foundation in which approximations can be made to solve many of the chemistry related problems. The "approximations" are pulled into QM within the computational chemistry models (Ch 15). I will get to wavefunctions soon, but i have opened a small can of worms that i feel we must purse in order to clarify the above mentioned issue...in keeping with my ability to move tangentially within a lecture...ie. going off-track!
- - Did you know that although Einstein (and the photoelectric effect) was one of the foundational experiments that lead to QM, he did not "like" QM...the following video is quite interesting. If you don't know who Alan Alda is, he was the main character in a the 1972 TV series M*A*S*H who has become very interested in promoting science within the public arena. Brian Greene is a theoretical physicist and similar to the more popular Niel deGrasse Tyson who has done a lot to educate the public about complex science topics. Have a look at this interview...
Brian Greene and Alan Alda Discuss Why Einstein Hated Quantum Mechanics