Which of the following is evidence for the wave nature of electrons?
Electron diffraction from crystals
The photoelectric effect
Continuous energy spectrum in β– decay
Pair production
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Syllabus Edition
First teaching 2014
Last exams 2024
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12.1 The Interaction of Matter with Radiation
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12.1 The Interaction of Matter with Radiation
Which of the following is evidence for the wave nature of electrons?
Electron diffraction from crystals
The photoelectric effect
Continuous energy spectrum in β– decay
Pair production
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Which of the following experiments provides evidence for the particle nature of light?
Gamma decay
Young's double slit
The photoelectric effect
Electron diffraction
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According to the de Broglie equation, the wavelength of the electron is
directly proportional to the mass of the electron
inversely proportional to the square of the velocity of the electron
directly proportional to the velocity of the electron
inversely proportional to the mass of the electron
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Which expression states the minimum energy of a photon before undergoing pair production?
mc2
2mc2
mc2
3mc2
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As a consequence of the uncertainty principle, which two quantities cannot be known at the same time?
Energy and momentum
Position and energy
Energy and time
Time and momentum
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Which of the following statements about quantum tunnelling is incorrect?
Increasing the barrier length decreases the effect of tunnelling probability
The wavefunction can travel through a finite barrier
The probability of finding a particle in a particular region is its wavefunction squared
The wavefunction can travel through an infinite barrier
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Which graph has a gradient equal to hc?
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Which of the following metals will exhibit the photoelectric effect most readily?
metal |
work function / eV |
|
A |
sodium |
2.3 |
B |
caesium |
2.1 |
C |
calcium |
2.9 |
D |
silver |
4.3 |
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Three statements about the wavefunction are
Which of the statement(s) are true?
I and III
I and II
II and III
II only
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A subatomic particle of mass m has an uncertainty in its position r, denoted by Δr. What is the uncertainty in its velocity, Δv?
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Violet light is incident on a metal surface, producing photoelectrons.
The variation of photocurrent I with potential difference V is shown.
The light source is changed to red light of the same intensity as the violet light. Which graph shows the variation of photocurrent I with potential difference V for the red light? The results for the violet light are shown as a dashed line.
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Which expression is proportional to the probability of finding an electron in a particular region of space?
The magnitude of the wave function
The square of the magnitude of the wave function
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The graphs show the variation with distance of the square of the magnitude of the wave function, , of a particle. Which graph corresponds to a particle with the largest uncertainty in momentum?
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The graph shows how the wave function Ψ of an electron varies with distance x.
Which of the following graphs shows the probability of finding the electron at each position along the distance x?
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According to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, conjugate quantities are pairs of quantities that cannot be known simultaneously with unlimited precision. What unit represents the product of two conjugate quantities?
kg2 m s–1
kg m2 s
kg m2 s–1
kg m2 s–2
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Alpha particles of mass m are accelerated from rest through a potential difference ΔV. Which of the following gives the de Broglie wavelength of the alpha particles as a result of the acceleration?
Use the following data:
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Which expression evaluates the de Broglie wavelength of an electron of mass m and charge e in the n = 2 state of hydrogen?
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The electron wave function Ψ is a function of position and time. Which expression evaluates the probability of discovering the electron in some volume ΔV?
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According to the Bohr model for hydrogen, visible light is emitted when electrons make transitions from excited states down to the state with n = 2.
The dotted line in the diagram represents such a transition, from n = 3 to n = 2, in the spectrum of hydrogen.
Which of the following diagrams could represent the visible light emission spectrum of hydrogen?
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An electron in a one-dimensional box, known as the “electron in a box” model, is a fundamental quantum mechanical approximation describing the translational motion of a single electron confined inside an infinitely deep well from which it cannot escape.
According to the “electron in a box” model, which of the following expressions is not a permitted value for the momentum of an electron moving in a box of length L?
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A vacuum photocell is connected in series with a power supply, a variable resistor, and a sensitive ammeter. A voltmeter is connected in parallel across the photocell.
Monochromatic light of frequency f illuminates the cathode, which has a threshold frequency f0. Photoelectrons are emitted and collected by the anode. A photocurrent is measured by the ammeter.
The potential difference across the photocell, V, is increased until the ammeter reads zero.
Which of the equations below does not correctly relate the potential V at which the current decreases to zero to the threshold frequency f0 and frequency f?
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The first three wavefunctions are shown for a particle confined in a box of length L.
For which wave function is the probability of finding the particle near the smallest?
n = 1
n = 2
n = 3
The probability is the same (and non-zero) for each wavefunction
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A beam of electrons of wavelength λ is incident on an aperture of width d. The beam is travelling along the z direction. The width d is of a size comparable to λ.
After passing through the aperture, the component of momentum in the x direction is px, the component in the y direction is py and the component in the z direction is pz.
Which of the following shows the uncertainty in px, py and pz?
Δpx | Δpy | Δpz | |
A. | |||
B. | 0 | ||
C. | 0 | 0 | |
D. | 0 | 0 |
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In 1890 Johannes Rydberg discovered an empirical formula that enabled the wavelengths of the light in the atomic line spectrum of hydrogen to be calculated. The formula is:
Where λ is the wavelength, n and m are integers and RH is the Rydberg constant.
In 1913 Niels Bohr published his theory of the hydrogen atom. This theory enabled the Rydberg formula to be derived. His theory also showed that the energy levels En of the hydrogen atom are given by the formula:
Where En is measured in joules.
Which of the following is a valid expression for the Rydberg constant?
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An electron is confined to a box. The energy difference between the first and the fourth states is 15.0 eV.
Which would be the best order of magnitude estimate for the length of the box?
10−9 m
10−10 m
10−11 m
10−12 m
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A square plate made of zinc with side length d is given a charge of Q and then illuminated with an ultraviolet lamp of wavelength λ. The lamp has an output power of 100 W.
The lamp is placed a distance r above the surface and positioned such that the UV light is incident normally on the zinc surface.
Which of the following is the correct expression for the time taken for the zinc plate to become electrically neutral?
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An alpha particle with energy E is incident upon a potential barrier and has a certain probability of quantum tunnelling through the barrier.
Consider the following statements:
I. The energy of the alpha particle is increased
II. The width of the potential barrier is increased
III. The alpha particle is replaced by an electron with energy E
Which statements would lead to an increase in the probability of finding a particle that has escaped a potential barrier?
I and II only
I and III only
II and III only
I, II and III
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Consider the following statements regarding the Bohr model of the hydrogen atom:
Which statements originate from the idea that the circumference of the orbit must be an integer number of the de Broglie wavelength?
I and II only
I and III only
II and III only
I, II and III
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An atom in an excited state has an orbital radius of 10−12 m.
Which would be the best order of magnitude estimate for the energy of this state according to the uncertainty principle?
101 eV
103 eV
106 eV
1010 eV
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