Introduction to Quantum Mechanics and Light

Vocabulary flashcards based on lecture notes detailing key concepts in atomic bonding, wave properties, electromagnetic radiation, and early quantum theory.

Valence Electrons

The outermost electrons of an atom that interact with other atoms and participate in chemical bonding.

Ionic Bonding

A type of chemical bond formed when an atom gains or loses electrons to or from another atom.

Covalent Bonding

A type of chemical bond formed when atoms share valence electrons with each other.

Metallic Bonding

A type of chemical bond formed when valence electrons are pooled and shared across an entire collective of atoms.

Quantum Mechanics

A branch of physics and chemistry that uses probability and statistics to explain the behavior and conditions of subatomic particles like electrons.

Schrödinger's Cat

A 1935 thought experiment proposed by Erwin Schrödinger to illustrate the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum physics, placing a cat in a sealed box with poison so that it is considered both alive and dead until observed.

Electromagnetic Radiation

A form of energy propagating through space composed of oscillating, mutually perpendicular electric and magnetic fields.

Speed of Light ($c$)

The constant speed at which all electromagnetic waves travel through space or a given medium, equal to $3.00 \times 10^8\,\text{m/s}$.

Amplitude

The height of a wave measured from the node to the crest or trough, which determines the brightness and intensity of light.

Wavelength ($\lambda$)

The distance between two consecutive corresponding points on a wave, such as from crest to crest or from trough to trough.

Frequency ($\nu$)

The number of wave cycles that pass a specific point per unit time, typically measured in inverse seconds ($\text{s}^{-1}$) or Hertz ($\text{Hz}$).

Transverse Wave

A wave in which the electric and magnetic fields oscillate perpendicular to the direction of wave travel.

Standing Wave

A stationary wave that vibrates in place at fixed points called nodes rather than traveling through space.

Constructive Interference

The interaction that occurs when two aligned wave parts (such as two crests) combine to increase the total wave amplitude.

Destructive Interference

The interaction that occurs when opposing wave parts (such as a crest and a trough) meet and cancel each other out.

Black Body

An ideal absorber and emitter of electromagnetic radiation across a continuous spectrum of wavelengths.

Quantum

A discrete packet of light energy whose total energy is directly proportional to the wave's frequency.

Planck's Constant ($h$)

The fundamental constant relating the energy of a quantum of light to its frequency, equal to $6.626 \times 10^{-34}\,\text{J}\cdot\text{s}$.

Orbitals

Three-dimensional standing wave electron probability clouds surrounding an atomic nucleus.

Amplitude Modulation (AM)

A method of transmitting information by varying the amplitude of an electromagnetic carrier wave.

Frequency Modulation (FM)

A method of transmitting information by varying the frequency of an electromagnetic carrier wave.