Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- 1 The Failure of Classical Physics
- 2 Wave–Particle Duality andWave Mechanics
- 3 Schrödinger Equation; Uncertainty Relations
- 4 The One-Dimensional Schrödinger Equation; Bound States
- 5 Scattering in One Dimension
- 6 Mathematical Formulation of Quantum Mechanics
- 7 Physical Interpretation: Postulates of Quantum Mechanics
- 8 The Harmonic Oscillator
- 9 Particle in a Central Potential; Orbital Angular Momentum
- 10 Bound States in a Central Potential: Applications
- 11 Angular Momentum: General Properties
- 12 Spin; Charged Particle in an Electromagnetic Field
- 13 Addition of Angular Momenta
- 14 Approximation Methods
- 15 Scattering by a Potential
- 16 Symmetry Transformations of States and Operators
- 17 Rotation Matrices and the Wigner–Eckart Theorem; Fine and Hyperfine Structure of Energy Levels in Hydrogen-Like Atoms
- 18 Time-Dependent Perturbation Theory
- 19 Systems of Identical Particles
- Bibliography
- Index
1 - The Failure of Classical Physics
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 December 2024
Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- 1 The Failure of Classical Physics
- 2 Wave–Particle Duality andWave Mechanics
- 3 Schrödinger Equation; Uncertainty Relations
- 4 The One-Dimensional Schrödinger Equation; Bound States
- 5 Scattering in One Dimension
- 6 Mathematical Formulation of Quantum Mechanics
- 7 Physical Interpretation: Postulates of Quantum Mechanics
- 8 The Harmonic Oscillator
- 9 Particle in a Central Potential; Orbital Angular Momentum
- 10 Bound States in a Central Potential: Applications
- 11 Angular Momentum: General Properties
- 12 Spin; Charged Particle in an Electromagnetic Field
- 13 Addition of Angular Momenta
- 14 Approximation Methods
- 15 Scattering by a Potential
- 16 Symmetry Transformations of States and Operators
- 17 Rotation Matrices and the Wigner–Eckart Theorem; Fine and Hyperfine Structure of Energy Levels in Hydrogen-Like Atoms
- 18 Time-Dependent Perturbation Theory
- 19 Systems of Identical Particles
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Several experimental facts cannot be explained by classical physics (Newtonian mechanics and Maxwell’s equations): the observed black-body radiation spectrum, the stability of atoms and associated spectral lines, the heat capacities of solids, and several others. The problems posed in this chapter are meant to illustrate and analyze the failure of classical physics in explaining these phenomena and how this failure points to the need for a radically new treatment.
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- Information
- Quantum Mechanics through ProblemsWith Complete Solutions, pp. 1 - 17Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2024