Lecture 3: Schroedinger's approach, particle in a 1-D box

Prof. Axon's full lecture notes are available in PDF format.

• Lectures 3 and 4 together, in PDF (3.5 MB)

You may also want to look at my own notes convering this material.

The main ideas for today are

• using probability wave functions to represent particles
• Schroedinger's equation, in time-independent form
• the simple, but useful, example of a particle trapped in a 1-D box

And on Friday, Lecture 4 will consider particles trapped in boxes which are multi-dimensional. We'll also look at the homework assigned for next week.

Before we start, though, it's time for a little quiz ....

Introduction: why the Bohr Model just isn't good enough.

Schrodinger's approach

Working with probability waves

What does the wave function Ψ(x) really mean?

The connection between the quantum and classical worlds...

More example problems.

     scroll down to continue ....

For more information

• Some of this material is covered (more slowly, and in less depth) in some of my Modern Physics I lectures.
  • Schroedinger's equation
  • A particle in a 1-D box
  • Quantum tunnelling