ENGINEERING PHYSICS I

PRACTICE QUESTIONS & NUMERICALS

MODULE 2: QUANTUM MECHANICS:

1. State and explain de Broglie’s hypothesis.

2. What are matter waves? State their properties.
3. What is wave-packet? Why do we say that a group of waves rather than a single wave is
associated with matter (i.e., microscopic particle)?
4. What are phase velocity and group velocity? State their expressions.
5. Prove that the phase velocity of de Broglie wave associated with the particle moving with
velocity v is greater than the speed of light.
6. State and explain Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle. Express it in different forms.
7. Why is the wave nature of matter not more apparent in our daily life?
8. What is a wavefunction? State the conditions that a well behaved wavefunction must satisfy.
9. State uncertainty principle. Show that an electron cannot be a constituent of the nucleus
using uncertainty principle.
10. Arrive at Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle with the help of single slit diffraction
experiment.
11. Define phase velocity and group velocity? Show that the de Broglie wave group associated
with a moving particle travels with same velocity as that of particle.
12. Derive an expression to show the relation between the phase velocity and group velocity.
13. Derive the expressions of phase velocity & group velocity.
14. Explain the physical significance of uncertainty principle.
15. Explain wavefunction and its physical significance.
16. Derive Scrodinger’s Time dependent equation in one dimension.
17. Derive Scrodinger’s Time independent equation in one dimension.
18. Show that the particle moving in 1 dimensional potential well of infinite height but finite
width, have discrete (quantized) energy levels.
19. Show that the energy of particle moving in 1 dimensional potential well of infinite potential
is proportional to integer n? (n=1, 2…)
20. Derive the probability density eigen functions and energy eigen values for a particle in a
box and also represent it diagrammatically.
21. Write a short note on quantum computing.
22. Distinguish between classical computing and quantum computing.
23. Explain Quantum superposition in short.
24. Explain Quantum entanglement in short.
25. Write a short note on Quantum Crystography.

NUMERICALS

1. 10 kV electrons are passed through a thin film of a metal for which the atomic spacing is
5.5 x 10-11 m. What is the angle of deviation of the first order diffraction maximum?
2. Determine the wavelength associated with an electron having kinetic energy equal to 1
MeV.
3. Calculate the time required for the atomic system to retain the excitation energy for a line
of wavelength 600 nm and width 10-5 nm.
4. If the uncertainty in the location of a particle is equal to its de Broglie wavelength, what is
the uncertainty in its velocity?
5. An electron has a speed of 4 x 105m/s, accurate to 0.01%. With what fundamental
accuracy can we locate the position of the electron?
6. Calculate the phase velocity and group velocity for an -particle having energy 1 MeV.
Given m = 6.64 x 10-27 kg.
7. Calculate de Broglie wavelength associated with a proton with a moving velocity equal to
1/20 th of the velocity of light. Given mp = 1.67 x 10-27kg.
8. Compute de Broglie wavelength of a proton whose kinetic energy is equal to the rest energy
of an electron. Mass of a proton is 1836 times that electron. Given: me = 9.1 x 10-31 kg.
9. Energy of a particle at absolute temperature T is of the order kT. Calculate the wavelength
of thermal neutron at 270C. Given: mn = 1.6 x10-27 kg., k = 8.6 x 10-5 eV/deg.
10. A beam of 0.025 eV thermal neutrons is passed through a certain crystal whose interplanar
spacing is 1.2 Å. Calculate the angle of deviation of the first order diffraction maximum.
Given: mn = 1.67 x 10-27 kg.
11. An electron and a photon each have a wavelength of 2 A0. What are their momenta and
energies.
12. Calculate the frequency and wavelength of photon whose energy is 75 eV.
13. Wavelength of characteristic X-rays from a copper target is 1.55 A0. Through what
potential difference must an electron be accelerated to have the same de Broglie
wavelength? Given me = 9.1 x 10-31 kg, q = 1.6 x 10-19 C.
14. Calculate the percentage uncertainty in the determination of momentum of a particle having
energy 10 keV if it is located within 1 Å. Given m = 1.82 x 10-28 kg
15. Calculate uncertainty in the measurement of energy of an excited state in an atom if it is
measured within 1 s.
16. Calculate the uncertainty in the determination of position of a particle if uncertainty in the
determination of its de Broglie wavelength is 1%. Given its energy is 100 keV and mass is
5 x 10-27 kg.

17. An electron is bound in one dimensional potential well of width of 12.27 Å and infinite
height. Calculate its ground state energy and first two excited state energies.
18. The lowest energy of an electron trapped in a potential well is 17 eV. Calculate the width
of potential well.

MODULE 4 : Interference

1. Why does an extremely thin film appear dark in reflected light and a thick film appear
uniformly illuminated?
2. Why does the interference pattern observed in reflected light is well-defined while in
transmitted it is not so well-defined for a thin film?
3. Why colours which are present in the reflected light are absent in the transmitted light in
case of thin film interference?
4. Why the central spot appears dark in Newton’s rings interference pattern when viewed in
reflected light?
5. Describe the conditions under which the central spot of Newton’s ring in reflected light is
bright.
6. Why do we get circular fringes in Newton’s ring set up?
7. What changes will you observe in the Newton’s ring fringe pattern if monochromatic light
is replaced by white light?
8. Explain why in Newton’s rings the rings get closer as we move away from the centre of the
pattern.
9. Why do we require lens of large radius of curvature in Newton’s rings experiment?
10. Find out similarities and dissimilarities between Newton’s ring and Wedge shaped thin
film.
11. Explain the formation of colours in thin film if illuminated by white light.
12. Derive the condition for a thin transparent film of constant thickness to appear bright and
dark when viewed in reflected light.
13. Why are fringes in wedge shaped thin film straight? Derive the conditions of maxima and
minima for interference in wedge shaped thin film.
14. Derive the expressions for fringe width in a wedge shaped thin film. Also explain the
applications.
15. Prove that the diameter of nth dark ring is proportional to square root of ring number for
reflected rays in Newton’s ring experiment.
16. Explain how you can determine the refractive index of a liquid by means of Newton’s rings.
17. With proper diagram and necessary expressions explain how Newton’s ring experiment is
useful to determine the radius of curvature of planoconvex lens.
18. Derive the thickness & refractive index conditions of antireflecting films.
19. Write a short note on Anti-reflecting films.
20. Write a short note on highly reflecting films.
21. Describe in brief 5 applications of interference.

NUMERICALS
1. In a Newton’s ring experiment, two wavelengths 1 = 6000 A0 and 2 = 4500 A0 are
emitted. It is found that nth dark ring due to 1 coincides with (n+1)th dark ring for 2. If
the radius of curvature of the planoconvex lens is 90 cm. find the radius of nth dark ring.
2. Two pieces of plane glass are placed together with a piece of paper between the two at one
edge. On viewing the film normally with monochromatic light of wavelength 4800 A0, 18
bands are observed in one cm. Find the angle of the wedge shaped air film between the
plates in seconds.
3. In a Newton’s ring arrangement with a film observed with light of wavelength 6 x 10-5 cm,
the difference of square of diameters of successive rings are 0.125 cm2. What will happen
to this quantity if:
i) Wavelength of light is changed to 4.5 x 10-5 cm.
ii) A liquid of refractive index 1.33 is introduced between the lens and the plate.
iii) The radius of curvature of convex surface of plano-convex lens is doubled.
4. Newton’s rings are formed by light reflected normally from a convex lens of radius of
curvature 90 cm and a glass plate with a liquid in between them. The diameter of nth dark
ring is 2.25 mm and that of (n+9)th dark ring is 4.5 mm. Calculate the refractive index of
liquid. Given  = 6000 A0.
5. Light falls normally on a soap film of thickness 5 x 10-5 cm and of refractive index 1.33.
Which wavelength in the visible region will be reflected strongly.
6. Light of wavelength 5880 A0 is incident on a thin film of glass of  = 1.5 such that the
angle of refraction in the plate is 600. Calculate the smallest thickness of the plate which
will make it dark by reflection.
7. Two rectangular pieces of a plane glass are laid one upon the other and a thin wire is placed
between them, so that a thin wedge shaped air film is formed between them. The plates are
illuminated with sodium light of wavelength 5893 A0 at normal incidence. Bright and dark
bands are formed. If there are ten fringes per cm, when viewed normally, find the angle of
wedge.
8. A wedge shaped air film having an angle of 40 seconds is illuminated by monochromatic
light and fringes are observed vertically through a microscope. The distance measured
between 10 consecutive bright fringes is 1.2 cm. Calculate the wavelength of light used.
9. A plane wave of monochromatic light falls normally on a uniform thin film of oil which
covers a glass plate. The wavelength of the source can be varied continuously. Complete
destructive interference is obtained only for wavelengths 5000 Ǻ and 7000Ǻ. Find the
thickness of the oil layer. Given R.I. of oil = 1.3 and R.I. of glass = 1.5.
10. White light is incident at an angle of 450 on a soap film 4 x 10-5 cm thick. Find the
wavelength of light in the visible spectrum which wavelength of light in the visible
spectrum which wavelength will be absent in the reflected light (µ = 1.2).
11. In Newton’s rings experiment the nth dark ring due to light of wavelength λ1 coincides with
(n+2)th dark ring due to light of wavelength λ2. Show that the radius on nth dark ring is given
by

2𝜆1 𝜆2 𝑅
𝑟𝑛 = √
(𝜆1 − 𝜆2 )

12. Newton’s rings are obtained with monochromatic light in between a flat glass plate and
convex lens are viewed normally. What will be the order of the dark ring which will have
double the diameter that of 40th dark ring.
13. Newton’s ring experiment the diameter of 10th dark ring changes from 1.4 cm to 1.27 cm,
when a liquid is introduced between the lens and the glass plate. Calculate refractive index
of the liquid.
14. In a Newton ring’s experiment the diameter of 5th dark ring is 0.336 cm and the diameter
of 15th dark ring is 0.590 cm.Find the radius of curvature of a plano convex lens, if the
wavelength of light used is 5890Å .

15. Find the thickness of the soap film (µ =1.33) which appears yellow (λ = 5896 A0) in reflection
when it is illuminated by white light at angle of 45°.