- #1
leehufford
- 98
- 1
Homework Statement
I know this question has been asked before, but I am looking for a different kind of answer than the other poster. Bear with me here.
Problem: For a hydrogen atom in the ground state, what is the probability to find the electron between the Bohr radius a0 and (1.01)a0? (Hint: it is not necessary to evaluate any integrals to solve this problem.)
Homework Equations
R(r) = (2/a03/2)e(-r/a0)
And P(r) is r2 times the square of the absolute value of R(r).
The Attempt at a Solution
I'm pretty sure I know how to solve this problem using integration. However, because of the hint about not evaluating any integrals, I feel like I am expected to find the "trick" or "shortcut" to getting the probability without evaluating an integral. I was thinking about using delta r instead of r, since the interval is so small it is roughly constant over the interval.
But my final answer has the Bohr radius dropping out of the equation (which seems right- I am looking for a dimensionless probability) but my answer is about 1,000 times smaller than that of the book answer.
I was hoping I could get a push in the right direction. Thanks for reading,
Lee