PHYS 2170: Foundations of Modern Physics

Solutions to Homework Set 10

1. Problem 8.2 (15 Points)

Question: Find all three partial derivatives of (a) x2 + y 2 + z 2 , (b)(sin y + cos z)2 ,
(c) x2 ey sin z.
Solution:
(a) /x = 2x, /y = 2y, /z = 2z
(b) /x = 0, /y = 2 cos y(sin y + cos z), /z = 2 sin z(sin y + cos z)
(c) /x = 2xey sin z, /y = x2 ey sin z, /z = x2 ey cos z
2. Problem 8.3 (10 points)
Question: (a) Supposing that (x, y, z) = f (x) + g(y) + h(z), find the three partial derivatives of (in terms of derivations of f , g, and h). (b) Do the same for
(x, y, z) = f (x)g(y)h(z).
Solution:
(a) /x = f 0 (x), /y = g 0 (y), /z = h0 (z)
(b) /x = f 0 (x)g(y)h(z), /y = f (x)g 0 (y)h(z), /z = f (x)g(y)h0 (z)
3. Problem 8.4 (10 points)
Question: Write down the Schrodinger equation (8.2) for a free particle, subject to
no forces and hence with U (r) = 0 everywhere, and show that the function (r) = eikr
is a solution for any fixed vector k satisfying E = h
2 k 2 /2M . Can you suggest an
interpretation for the vector k?
Solution:
2M
2 2 2
+ 2 + 2 = 2 E
2
x
y
z
h

If = exp(ik r) = exp i(kx x + ky y + kz z), then

/x = ikx and 2 /x2 = kx2
and so on. Thus the LHS of Eq. (I) is
LHS = (kx2 + ky2 + kz2 ) = k 2
This equals the RHS of Eq.(I), provided k 2 = 2M E/
h2 or E = h
2 k 2 /2M . This suggests
that h
k = the momentum of the particle.

4. Problem 8.8 (10 points)

Question: Make an energy-level diagram similar to Fig. 8.2 showing the quantum
numbers, energies, and degeneracies of the lowest eight levels for a particle in a twodimensional, rigid square box.
Solution:

5. Problem 8.9 (10 points)

Question: Consider a particle of mass M in a two-dimensional, rigid rectangular box
with sides a and b. Using the method of separation of variables, find the allowed
energies and wave functions for this particle. In particular, show that the allowed
energies are identified by two integers nx and ny and have the form
Enx ,ny

h
2 2 n2x n2y
=
( + 2)
2M a2
b

Your analysis will be very similar to that given in Section 8.3; the main purposes of
this problem are that you go through that analysis yourself and understand how it
generalizes to the case of a rectangle with unequal sides.
Solution: If we try putting (x, y) = X(x)Y (y), then the Schrodinger equation becomes (X 00 /X) + (Y 00 /Y ) = 2M E/h2 . This implies that each term on the right must
be a constant:
X 00 /X = kx2 and Y 00 /Y = ky2
where
kx2 + ky2 = 2M E/
h2
2

The solution of the x equation is X = A sin (kx x)[ a cosine is excluded by the boundary
condition that X(0) = 0], and the condition that X(a) = 0 requires that kx = nx /a.
With a similar conclusion for Y , we find that
(x, y) = A sin(nx x/a) sin(ny y/b)
From Eq.(I), we find that
E = (
h2 /2M )(kx2 + ky2 ) = (h2 2 /2M )[(nx /a)2 + (ny /b)2 ]
6. Problem 8.11 (10 points)
Question: The energy levels for a rectangular rigid box with sides a and b are given
by Eq.(8.102) in Problem 8.9. When a 6= b, some of the degeneracies noticed for the
square box (Fig.8.2) are no longer present. To illustrate this, find the lowest six levels
and their degeneracies for the case a = 1.1b. Compare with the levels for the case a = b
(Fig.8.2). Your results will illustrate a general trend: When one reduces the symmetry
of a system, its degeneracies usually decrease.
Solution: E = (
h2 2 /2M a2 )[n2x + (1.1n2y )2 ] = E0 [n2x + (1.1ny )2 ]

The order of levels for this rectangular box (a = 1.1b) is the same as for the square
box, but the energies are slightly different, and the two degeneracies of the square box
are no longer present when a 6= b.
7. Problem 8.14 (20 points)
Question: In Chapter 7 we claimed that an electron confined inside a thin conducting
wire was essentially a one dimensional system. To illustrate this, take as a model of the
wire a long thin rigid box of length a and square cross section b b (with a  b. (a)
Using the formula (8.103) (Problem 8.15), write down the ground-state energy for an
electron in this box. (b) Write down the energy, measured up from the ground state,
of the general excited state. (c) Do the same for an electron in a one-dimensional box
of the same length a. (d) Suppose that a = 1 m and b = 1 mm. Show that the first
1700 (approximately) levels of the electron in the wire are identical to those for the
one-dimensional box.
3

Solution:
(a) If we write b = a/s, with s  1, then Eq.(8.103) gives
E = E0 [n2x + s2 (n2x + n2z )]
where E0 = h
2 2 /(2M a2 ). The ground state has E = E0 (1 + 2s).
(b) E = E0 [n2x 1 + s2 (n2y + n2z 2)]
(c) E = E0 (n2x 1) [ for one-dimensional box ].
(d) Since s  1, all of the lowest levels of the wire have ny = nz = 1, in which case
E(wire)= E0 (n2x 1) = E(one-dimensional box)
The lowest level for which ny and nz are not both equal to 1 is (1,2,1) (or (1,1,2)). The
number of levels below this is given by
(n2x 1) s2 (4 + 1 2) = 3s2 , or n2x 3s2 + 1.
With s = 1000, this means that the levels agree up to about nx = 1700.
8. Problem 8.15 (15 points)
Question: Show that the allowed energies of a mass M confined in a three-dimensional
rectangular rigid box with sides a, b, and c are
h
2 2 n2x n2y n2z
( + 2 + 2)
2M a2
b
c
where the three quantum numbers nx , ny , nz are any three positive integers (1,2,3,...).
[Hint: Use separation of variables, and seek a solution of the form = X(x)Y (y)Z(z).
Note that by setting a = b = c, one obtains the cubical box of Example 8.2.]
Solution: Inside the box, where U = 0, the Schrodinger equation has the form
E=

2 /x2 + 2 /y 2 + 2 /z 2 = (2M E/h2 )

If we substitute = X(x)Y (y)Z(z) and divide through by XY Z, we find
X 00 /X + Y 00 /Y + Z 00 /Z = 2M E/h2
Just as in two dimensions, the terms on the left must equal separate constants, which
we call kx2 , ky2 , and kz2 , satisfying
kx2 + ky2 + kz2 = 2M E/
h2
This gives three ordinary differential equations (X 00 = kx2 X, etc.) with solutions of
the form X(x) = sin(kx x), etc. Since must vanish on the walls, x = a, etc., the
constants kx , ky , and kz must be integer multiples of /a, /b, and /c. Equation (I)
then implies that
E = (
h2 2 /2M )(n2x /a2 + n2y /b2 + n2z /c2 )