Chapter 9
Understanding Hydrogen Atoms
In This Chapter
The Schrödinger equation for hydrogen
The radial wave functions
Energy degeneracy
Location of the electron
Not only is hydrogen the most common element in the universe, but it’s also the simplest. And one thing quantum physics is good at is predicting everything about simple atoms. This chapter is all about the hydrogen atom and solving the Schrödinger equation to find the energy levels of the hydrogen atom. For such a small little guy, the hydrogen atom can whip up a lot of math — and I solve that math in this chapter.
Using the Schrödinger equation tells you just about all you need to know about the hydrogen atom, and it’s all based on a single assumption: that the wave function must go to zero as r goes to infinity, which is what makes solving the Schrödinger equation possible. I start by introducing the Schrödinger equation for the hydrogen atom and take you through calculating energy degeneracy and figuring out how far the electron is from the proton.
Coming to Terms: The Schrödinger Equation for the Hydrogen Atom
Hydrogen ...
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