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Atkins & de Paula:
Physical Chemistry for the Life Sciences

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Atkins & De Paula: Physical Chemistry for the Life Sciences
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Harmonic oscillator wavefunctions 9.36

The wavefunctions (m-1/2) and the probability densities (m-1) of a harmonic oscillator are given by

Where Her(v, x) is a Hermite polynomial, x is displacement (pm), v is a quantum number, m is mass (kg), and k is force constant (N m-1).

Note how the probability of finding the oscillator at large displacements increases as the state of excitation increases.

To graph a wavefunction enter parameters (i.e., v, m, k) and hit New Plot. Up to 5 plots can be displayed at one time. The Clear button will remove all plots. To see the parameters for each plot hit the Legend on/off button. The Redraw button will refresh the graph. This is useful when the function domain (i.e., x) has been changed. To see the value of each plot at a given point, move your cursor to the desired location then click and hold. Toggle between a plot of f(x) or f(x)2 (i.e., the probability density function) by clicking its radio button.

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