Session Overview
Prerequisites
Before starting this session, you should be familiar with:
Looking Ahead
Prof. Sadoway discusses the Aufbau principle and photoelectron spectroscopy (Session 7).
Learning Objectives
After completing this session, you should be able to:
- Explain how quantum numbers define the state of the electron.
- Describe how electron orbitals are filled according to the Aufbau principle, Pauli exclusion principle and Hund’s rule.
- Calculate the wavelength of a particle using de Broglie’s theory.
- Articulate the implications of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle.
- Understand the relationship between the Schrödinger equation and quantum mechanics.
Reading
Archived Lecture Notes #1 (PDF), Section 3
Archived Lecture Notes #2 (PDF), Section 3
| Book Chapters | Topics |
|---|---|
| [Saylor] 6.4, “The Relationship between Energy and Mass.” | The wave character of matter; standing waves; the Heisenberg uncertainty principle |
| [Saylor] 6.6, “Building Up the Periodic Table.” | Electron spin: the fourth quantum number; the Pauli principle; electron configuration of the elements |
Lecture Video
Resources
Lecture Summary
In this lecture, Prof. Sadoway discusses the following topics:
- Quantum numbers – define the “state” of the electron
- n = principal quantum number
- l = angular momentum (“shape”)
- m = magnetic quantum number
- s = spin
- Aufbau principle, Pauli exclusion principle, Hund’s rule
- de Broglie’s theory – a particle can act as a wave
- Heisenberg uncertainty principle
- Schrödinger equation
Homework
Textbook Problems
| [Saylor] Sections | Conceptual | Numerical |
|---|---|---|
| [Saylor] 6.4, “The Relationship between Energy and Mass.” | none | 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 |
For Further Study
Supplemental Readings
Schrödinger, Erwin. My View of the World. Cambridge, MA: University Press, 1964.
Schrödinger, Erwin. Collected Papers on Wave Mechanics: Together With His Four Lectures on Wave Mechanics. New York, NY: Chelsea Publications, 1982. ISBN: 9780821829769.
Peat, F. David. From Certainty to Uncertainty: The Story of Science and Ideas in the Twentieth Century. Washington, DC: Joseph Henry Press, 2002. ISBN: 9780309076418.
Rigden, John S. Hydrogen: The Essential Element. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2002. ISBN: 9780674012523.
Frayn, M. Copenhagen: A Play in Two Acts. New York, NY: S. French, 2000.
Powers, Thomas. Heisenberg’s War: The Secret History of the German Bomb. New York, NY: Knopf, 1993. ISBN: 9780306810114.
People
Louis de Broglie - 1929 Nobel Prize in Physics
Werner Heisenberg - 1932 Nobel Prize in Physics
Erwin Schrödinger - 1933 Nobel Prize in Physics
Wolfgang Pauli - 1945 Nobel Prize in Physics
Clinton Davisson - 1937 Nobel Prize in Physics
Other OCW and OER Content
| Content | Provider | Level | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.111 Principles of Chemical Science | MIT OpenCourseWare | Undergraduate (first-year) |
Lecture 3: Wave-Particle Duality of Light Lecture 4: Wave-Particle Duality of Matter |
| Atomic Structure, The Schrödinger Equation | HyperPhysics | High school |