Solution Found!
Make a rough estimate of the minimum energy of a proton
Chapter , Problem 12P(choose chapter or problem)
Problem 12P
Make a rough estimate of the minimum energy of a proton confined inside a box of width 10−15m (the size of an atomic nucleus).
Questions & Answers
QUESTION:
Problem 12P
Make a rough estimate of the minimum energy of a proton confined inside a box of width 10−15m (the size of an atomic nucleus).
ANSWER:
Solution
Step 1 of 4
In the given problem, the proton is confined inside a box of width L=. Here we need to calculate the minimum energy of the proton.
This is similar to the situation when the microparticle like proton with mass is trapped inside a 1-dimensional box of length L. In such a box, the particle does not possess potential energy, and is trapped inside the box by the walls of the infinite potential energy as shown in the figure below,