A simplified approach to the question of how lis related to angular momentum – due to P. W. Milonni and Richard Feynman – can be stated as follows: If can take on only those values mlh, whereml=0,±1,±l , then its square is allowed only valuesml2h2, and the average of localid="1659178449093" l2should be the sum of its allowed values divided by the number of values,2l+1 , because there really is no preferred direction in space, the averages of Lx2andLy2should be the same, and sum of all three should give the average of role="math" localid="1659178641655" L2. Given the sumrole="math" localid="1659178770040" 1Sn2=N(N+1)(2N+1)/6, show that these arguments, the average of L2 should be l(l+1)h2.

Short Answer

Expert verified

Given the sum 1Sn2=N(N+1)(2N+1)/6the average of L2isl(l+1)h2.

Step by step solution

01

Average of Lz2 :

The Azimuthal quantum number specifies the shape and angular momentum of the orbital in the space.

Given that,

If L2can take on only those values mlh, where ml=0,±1,±l, then its square is allowed only values ml2h2, and the average of l2 should be the sum of its allowed values divided by the number of values, 2l+1, because there really is no preferred direction in space, the averages of Lx2andLy2 should be the same, and sum of all three should give the average ofL2 .

Where, L is the Orbital angular momentum, Lx is the component of orbital angular momentum along x-axis, Ly is the component of orbital angular momentum along y-axis, Lz is the component of orbital angular momentum along z-axis, l is theAzimuthal quantum number,ml is theMagnetic quantum number.

role="math" localid="1659179529670" Lz2=12l+1ml=-llml2h2

Where, h is Planck’s constant.

Lz2=22l+1ml=-llml2h2=22l+1h2ll+12l+1/6=13h2ll+1

02

Average of  :

It is also given that,

Avg.ofLx2=Avg.ofLy2=Avg.ofLz2 ….. (1)

Hence,

Avg.ofL2=Avg.ofLy2=Avg.ofLz2=3×Avg.ofLx2+Avg.ofLy2+Avg.ofLz2=3×AvgofLz2=3×13h2ll+1=h2ll+1

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Physics Textbooks

View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.

Sign-up for free