The best way to prepare is to pick a HW problem and see if you can do it on just a blank piece of paper, not looking at any solution. Reading solutions, or any reading, is not as good, except as a prelude to actually working a problem on a blank piece of paper (with your notes as your only aid).
Bring blank paper! (and your one page, one side, of wavefunctions, integrals, etc
For
the quiz on Tuesday, it looks like there will be: a calculation of a
potential energy expectation value, a calculation of a kinetic energy
expectation value, and a discussion of the nature of the ground state of
a finite square well. (Including considerations related to the
influence of KE or PE on the nature of the state is a good idea.)
For the finite square well, will A, B, u, and a be given to us or will we be expected to calculate them?
ReplyDeleteIn general, it is best to prepare for more "routine" problems, and not focus on something that is extremely difficult. This is a common problem; many students aim too high. Something that you have never been asked to do on the HW, you also won't be asked to do on a quiz or test.
DeleteCalculations which takes hours, like the above, you will not be asked to do. The best way to prepare is to pick a HW problem and see if you can do it on just a blank piece of paper, not looking at any solution.
Do you mean a current HW problem or from HW 1-3
DeleteOkay just wanted to make sure, thanks.
ReplyDeleteJust to be sure, will you give us the wave function of whichever systems/states we need to determine? Or is this something that's expected to be on our crib sheets?
ReplyDeletedefinitely bring states and common integrals on your crib sheets. HO in 1D and hydrogen in 3D. Plenty of r times exponential integrals and all the thta and phi integrals you might need.
DeleteCan we use a calculator?
ReplyDeleteI have a Ti-nspire cx CAS version. There is a computer algebra system in it. I have taken all my calculus classes so may I use it to integrate for me?
yes
DeleteI feel like that's unfair. Essentially this is saying that those who have these advanced instruments don't have to know the integrals, whereas in class you clearly stated that we should know these integrals by heart or bring them in on our crib sheet.
DeleteI was the person that posted the question and I first did my integration by hand then checked with my calculator.
ReplyDeleteThe hydrogen atom only consisted of a triple integral. I used integration by parts to solve the portion of the integration with the variable r.
PS. It is completely fair to check your answers with the spare time I have on the quiz.