Write down the Schrodinger wave equation and define each of the terms in it.

Short Answer

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The time-dependent Schrödinger wave equation is \(i\hbar\frac{\partial \Psi}{\partial t} = \hat{H}\Psi\), where \(i\) is the imaginary unit, \(\hbar\) is the reduced Planck's constant, \(\Psi\) is the wave function, \(t\) is time, and \(\hat{H}\) is the Hamiltonian operator. They represent the imaginary unit, the reduced Planck constant, the rate of change of the wave function, the total energy of the system, and the wave function itself respectively.

Step by step solution

01

Writing down the Schrödinger wave equation

The time-dependent Schrödinger wave equation can be written as follows: \[ i\hbar\frac{\partial \Psi}{\partial t} = \hat{H} \Psi \]
02

Defining the terms

In the above equation, each symbol represents the following: - \(i\) is the imaginary unit, which satisfies the equation \(i^2 = -1\). - \(\hbar\) is the reduced Planck's constant, also known as Dirac's constant. It is equal to the Planck's constant \(h\) divided by \(2\pi\). - \(\frac{\partial \Psi}{\partial t}\) represents the partial derivative of \(\Psi\) (the wave function) with respect to \(t\) (time). This describes the rate at which the wave function changes over time. - \(\hat{H}\) represents the Hamiltonian operator, which corresponds to the total energy of the quantum system. - \(\Psi\) is the wave function of the system, describing the state of the system. The square of absolute value of \(\Psi\) represents the probability density of the system's states.

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