WARNING! THIS POST CAN BE BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH!
Now we had a real model of the atom to work with. All that was needed now was a mathematical formalism to describe it.
Independently Werner Heisenberg and Erwin Shrodinger worked it out, the former's was called Quantum Mechanics, the latter, Matrix Mechanics. They were exactly equivalent. Both worked the same way, one using differential operators, the other, matrices.
The guys "married" the two theories and came up with the single most important formula in physics, surpassing even Einstein's E = mc2.
The reason why the Shrodinger Equation is not widely well-known is because the pearl of wisdom in it is buried underneath the scary-looking math.
Here it is, plus the solution:
For those interested, it is an "EigenValue" equation. The left-hand side of the top line simply says, perform the calculation on Psi (the strange "Y" like letter), and you get a value for the energy of the particle of mass m on the right.
The V(x) is the potential energy, only applicable in electric fields (technically, gravitational fields also).
If we suppose the particle is clear of any such fields, V(x) is zero and the solution drops out on the bottom line.
That bottom expression is the simple equation of a travelling wave, ie the particle itself expressed mathematically.
The letter "i" is the square root of -1.
All of quantum mechanics can be described by this single equation.
Friday, November 07, 2008
The Atom - Part Four
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3 comments:
I work at a research facility in the UK (Daresbury if you will) and l find the way you are able to express your understanding of the subject wonderful.
Should your other career's overseas not bear fruit perhaps you may find one in the UK.
Martin
I know Daresbury, for I visit there from time to time.
It is a large facility and I think I know you.
Thanks for the compliments.
My professors say the same, actually!
I may have seen you around. From time to time there are students and professors who visit (several recently have been oriental and not based in the UK.Maybe you were one of them who visited early December).Some are regular and l would say that these people are the professors (students dress differently also) as they also use what we call 'the white room' a lot.To those that don't know thats a small room with a lovely view where we chat about the days finding over a cup of tea.
Maybe next time your in we'll have a chat.
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