Title Information
Title
Deductive introduction to quantum principles through resonance-focused chemistry laboratory
Name: Personal
Name Part
Pirozzi, Ileana
Role
Role Term: Text
creator
Name: Personal
Name Part
Wang, Li-Qiong
Role
Role Term: Text
advisor
affiliation
Brown University. Department of Chemistry
Name: Corporate
Name Part
Brown University. Undergraduate Teaching and Research Award
Role
Role Term: Text
research program
Type of Resource
still image
Genre (aat)
posters
Origin Information
Place
Place Term: Text
Providence
Publisher
Brown University
Date Created (encoding="w3cdtf")
2015-08-07
Physical Description
Extent
1 poster
digitalOrigin
reformatted digital
Abstract
Communicating the principles of quantum mechanics to underclassmen can be a particularly difficult objective. However, laboratory demonstrations of quantum principles can greatly enhance young scientists' capacity to understand such concepts. Through this UTRA, we designed and developed a new underclassmen laboratory with the aim of providing hands-on learning of quantum mechanics, in order to allow the students to better relate to these concepts, which are usually left very abstract. Through this laboratory, students are first led to investigate resonance and standing waves at macroscopic level via mechanical vibration of membranes subject to varying boundary conditions. Then, they are exposed to the wave mechanics at mesoscopic level by synthesizing silver nanoparticles and analyzing how their plasmon frequencies change with size and shape of the nanoparticle. Through this practical macroscopic and mesoscopic level demonstration of wave mechanics, students obtain an intuition that opens the road to further questions in the realm of quantum mechanical aspects of chemistry.
Subject (LCSH)
Topic
Quantum theory
Subject (LCSH)
Topic
Nanoparticles
Subject (LCSH)
Topic
Spectrum analysis
Subject (LCSH)
Topic
Boundary value problems
Identifier: DOI
10.26300/8sec-g658