Photo AI

Figure 3 shows part of the apparatus used to investigate electron diffraction - AQA - A-Level Physics - Question 3 - 2019 - Paper 7

Question icon

Question 3

Figure-3-shows-part-of-the-apparatus-used-to-investigate-electron-diffraction-AQA-A-Level Physics-Question 3-2019-Paper 7.png

Figure 3 shows part of the apparatus used to investigate electron diffraction. Electrons were accelerated through a potential difference to form a beam which was th... show full transcript

Worked Solution & Example Answer:Figure 3 shows part of the apparatus used to investigate electron diffraction - AQA - A-Level Physics - Question 3 - 2019 - Paper 7

Step 1

State de Broglie's hypothesis.

96%

114 rated

Answer

De Broglie’s hypothesis states that all matter particles exhibit wave-like properties, which means that they have a wavelength associated with their momentum. Mathematically, this is expressed as:

extwavelength(lambda)=hp ext{wavelength} (\\lambda) = \frac{h}{p}

where hh is Planck's constant and pp is the momentum of the particle.

Step 2

Determine whether this voltmeter reading is consistent with a de Broglie wavelength for the electrons in the beam of about 0.02 nm.

99%

104 rated

Answer

The kinetic energy (KE) of the electrons can be calculated using the formula:

KE=eVKE = eV

where ee is the charge of the electron (1.6imes1019extC1.6 imes 10^{-19} ext{ C}) and VV is the voltage (3.5 kV or 3.5imes103extV3.5 imes 10^{3} ext{ V}).

Thus,

KE=(1.6imes1019)imes(3.5imes103)5.6imes1016extJKE = (1.6 imes 10^{-19}) imes (3.5 imes 10^{3}) \approx 5.6 imes 10^{-16} ext{ J}

Next, we can find the momentum pp using:

p=2meKEp = \sqrt{2m_e KE}

where mem_e is the electron mass (9.11imes1031extkg9.11 imes 10^{-31} ext{ kg}).

Substituting the values,

p=2×(9.11imes1031)×(5.6×1016)1.43×1024extkgm/sp = \sqrt{2 \times (9.11 imes 10^{-31}) \times (5.6 \times 10^{-16})} \approx 1.43 \times 10^{-24} ext{ kg m/s}

Then, using de Broglie's relation, the wavelength can be calculated as:

λ=hp=6.626×10341.43×10244.63×1010extm=0.463extnm\lambda = \frac{h}{p} = \frac{6.626 \times 10^{-34}}{1.43 \times 10^{-24}} \approx 4.63 \times 10^{-10} ext{ m} = 0.463 ext{ nm}

This is not consistent with a wavelength of 0.02 nm.

Step 3

State and explain two independent changes that could be made to the arrangement in Figure 3 to produce the result shown for the second experiment in Figure 4.

96%

101 rated

Answer

  1. Use target with greater spacing between atoms. This change would allow for a wider range of diffraction angles, leading to a distinct pattern.

  2. Increase the incident energy (voltage). Raising the voltage would increase the electron energy and, consequently, its momentum, allowing for a finer diffraction pattern which results in clearer rings in the interference pattern.

Join the A-Level students using SimpleStudy...

97% of Students

Report Improved Results

98% of Students

Recommend to friends

100,000+

Students Supported

1 Million+

Questions answered

;