next up previous
Next: Alternate eigenvalue equation Up: Dimensional Analysis and Previous: Dimensional Analysis and

Dimensional analysis

Define your own new system of units in which the mass of the particle, the square of the charge on the electron (either, or if you are an mks fan) and Planck's constant all have the value 1 so that in your new units, Eq. (1) reads

( Note: the ``R'' in this expression is just distance measured in your new units. It has nothing to do with the ``R'' on PS6.)

Give expressions for your unit of mass, length and time in terms of e, and m. Evaluate numerically your unit energy, distance and mass in terms the of electron Volt, the Angstroms and the mass of the electron, respectively.

Background: The system of units you have just defined is known as ``Atomic Units''. The unit energy is called the ``Hartree'' and the unit distance is called the ``Bohr''.



Prof. Tomas Alberto Arias
Tue Apr 30 08:11:46 EDT 1996