Introduction

The program ``schrdgr'' numerically solves the time-independent Schrödinger equation for a particle bound in a one-dimensional potential well.

This equation describes quantum states of an electron which have definite energy. Transitions between states of different energies, for example, produce the light frequencies you will measure in the Spectrum of Hydrogen lab.

Please try running this simulation at home or in the CIT computer labs. You may consult with friends, but each student is requested to run their own simulation, generate their own plots, and analyze their own results. You should read the next section carefully before starting because it will tell you how to use the program, and how to get good data.

Some semesters we may also provide computer lab sessions. You can use them to ask questions from your TA about this lab, or for running the simulations if you have trouble at home.

Each section of this lab should take no more than an hour, if you read the lab over beforehand and understand the material. Some sections demand a calculation: bring paper and pencil and a calculator. Not all sections will be assigned in all years.

Links Back

  1. Infinite Square Well
  2. Square Shelf
  3. Hydrogen

Statistical Mechanics: Entropy, Order Parameters, and Complexity, now available at Oxford University Press (USA, Europe).