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Ch.7 - Quantum-Mechanical Model of the Atom
Chapter 7, Problem 47

Sketch the interference pattern that results from the diffraction of electrons passing through two closely spaced slits.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Wave-Particle Duality

Wave-particle duality is a fundamental concept in quantum mechanics that describes how particles, such as electrons, exhibit both wave-like and particle-like properties. When electrons pass through slits, they can interfere with themselves as waves, leading to patterns that are characteristic of wave behavior, such as constructive and destructive interference.
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Subatomic Particles

Diffraction

Diffraction is the bending of waves around obstacles and the spreading of waves when they pass through narrow openings. In the context of electrons passing through slits, diffraction occurs as the electron waves spread out after passing through the slits, creating an interference pattern on a detection screen, which is a hallmark of wave behavior.

Interference Pattern

An interference pattern is a pattern formed by the overlapping of two or more waves, resulting in regions of constructive interference (bright spots) and destructive interference (dark spots). In the case of electrons passing through two slits, the resulting pattern on a screen demonstrates the wave nature of electrons, with alternating bright and dark fringes that reflect the probability distribution of where electrons are likely to be detected.
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Square planar complexes show the most complex splitting pattern.
Related Practice
Textbook Question

A heat lamp produces 32.8 watts of power at a wavelength of 6.5 µm. How many photons are emitted per second? (1 watt = 1 J/s)

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Textbook Question

Determine the energy of 1 mol of photons for each kind of light. (Assume three significant figures.) a. infrared radiation (1500 nm) b. visible light (500 nm) c. ultraviolet radiation (150 nm)

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Textbook Question

How much energy is contained in 1 mol of each? a. X-ray photons with a wavelength of 0.135 nm b. γ-ray photons with a wavelength of 2.15×10–5 nm

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Open Question
What happens to the interference pattern if we attempt to determine which slit the electron passes through using a laser placed directly behind the slits? Additionally, what happens to the interference pattern described in Problem 47 if the rate of electrons passing through the slits is reduced to one electron per hour?
Textbook Question

The resolution limit of a microscope is roughly equal to the wavelength of light used in producing the image. Electron microscopes use an electron beam (in place of photons) to produce much higher resolution images, about 0.20 nm in modern instruments. Assuming that the resolution of an electron microscope is equal to the de Broglie wavelength of the electrons used, to what speed must the electrons be accelerated to obtain a resolution of 0.20 nm?

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Textbook Question

The smallest atoms can themselves exhibit quantum-mechanical behavior. Calculate the de Broglie wavelength (in pm) of a hydrogen atom traveling at 475 m/s.

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