Quantum Mechanics Problem Set
Ranjani Seshadri
August 13, 2025
Blackbody Radiation
1. A star can be approximated as a blackbody. If a star’s surface temperature
is 5800 K, what is the peak wavelength of its emitted radiation? What
color would this correspond to in the visible spectrum?
2. A spherical heating element with a radius of 1.5 cm is an ideal blackbody.
If its temperature is 1500 K, what is the total power radiated by the
element?
de Broglie Wavelength
3. (a) A baseball with a mass of 0.145 kg is thrown with a velocity of
40 m/s. Calculate its de Broglie wavelength.
(b) An electron (mass 9.11 × 10−31 kg) is traveling at the same velocity,
40 m/s. Calculate its de Broglie wavelength.
(c) Explain why the wave properties of the baseball are not observable
in our everyday lives, while the wave properties of the electron are a
foundational concept in quantum mechanics.
4. An electron is accelerated from rest through a potential difference of
100 V. What is its de Broglie wavelength?
Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle
5. An electron is trapped inside a one-dimensional box of length 0.1 nm.
If the uncertainty in its position is approximately the length of the box,
∆x ≈ 0.1 nm, what is the minimum possible uncertainty in its momentum,
∆p?
6. A particular excited state of an atom has a lifetime of 1.6 × 10−8 s before
it decays to the ground state.
(a) What is the minimum uncertainty in the energy of this excited state?
1
(b) If the average energy of the emitted photon is E = 1.9 eV, what is
the fractional uncertainty in the energy, ∆E
E ?
Expectation Values for Wave Functions
For each of the following unnormalized one-dimensional wave functions, perform
the following steps:
1. Find the normalization constant A. (This check on a wave function should
always be done whether a question asks or not)
2. Calculate the expectation value of position, ⟨x⟩.
3. Calculate the expectation value of momentum, ⟨p⟩.
4. Calculate the expectation value of momentum squared, ⟨p2 ⟩.
2
d d
**Note:** The relevant operators are x̂ = x, p̂ = −iℏ dx , and p̂2 = −ℏ2 dx 2.
7. **Wave function 1:** ψ(x) = A for 0 ≤ x ≤ L. The wave function is zero
everywhere else.
8. **Wave function 2:** ψ(x) = Ax(L−x) for 0 ≤ x ≤ L. The wave function
is zero everywhere else.
9. **Wave function 3:** ψ(x) = Ae−x/L for x ≥ 0. The wave function is
zero everywhere else.
10. **Wave function 4:** ψ(x) = A sin( πx
L ) for 0 ≤ x ≤ L. The wave function
is zero everywhere else.