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Mathcad in the Chemistry Curriculum
Theresa Julia Zielinski Monmouth University West Long Branch, NJ 07764-1898
Student Access to Symbolic Mathematics Software
Illustrating the Bohr Correspondence Principle: BCPfaculty2001.mcd, BCPfaculty8.mcd, BCPfaculty2001.pdf, BCPstudent2001.mcd, BCPstudent8.mcd, BCPstudent2001.pdf
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can be interpreted to agree with CM in a case that is adequately described by Kinetic Molecular Theory, which is based on CM. Students verify that n for an average He molecule in a 1-dm box at 298K is, indeed, large. A completed version of the document is available for teachers.
Glenn V. Lo, Department of Physical Sciences, Nicholls State University, Thibodoux, LA 70310;
[email protected] The goal of this document is to introduce the Bohr Correspondence Principle in an activity immediately following the traditional lecture on the solution of the Schrödinger equation for the particle-in-a-1D-box (PIB) problem. An incomplete three-part Mathcad document is provided to the students. In part 1, students relate nodal features of the wavefunction to the quantum number (n) and are graphically reminded of the mathematical basis of quantization. Part 2 focuses on the interpretation of the square of the wavefunction as probability density; students are led to the conclusion that Quantum Mechanics (QM) and Classical Mechanics (CM) agree at large n. Part 3 illustrates that QM
Figure 1. Probability density function for quantum state n=1, dotted line; classical mechanics probability density function, solid line.
JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu • Vol. 79 No. 11 November 2002 • Journal of Chemical Education
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