Absolutely Small · How Quantum Theory Explains Our Everyday World by Fayer, Michael -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Title Page Copyright Page Preface Chapter 1 - Schrödinger’s Cat

SCHRÖDINGER’S CAT NOT LIKE FLIPPING COINS REAL PHENOMENA CAN BEHAVE LIKE SCHRÖDINGER’S CATS

Chapter 2 - Size Is Absolute

SIZE IS RELATIVE IN EVERYDAY LIFE OBSERVATION METHOD CAN MATTER BIG OR SMALL—IT’S THE SIZE OF THE DISTURBANCE CAUSALITY FOR BIG OBJECTS NONNEGLIGIBLE DISTURBANCES MATTER THERE IS ALWAYS A DISTURBANCE SIZE IS ABSOLUTE CAN’T CALCULATE THE FUTURE—ONLY PROBABILITIES

Chapter 3 - Some Things About Waves

WHAT ARE WAVES? WAVES HAVE VELOCITIES AND FREQUENCIES OCEAN WAVES SOUND WAVES CLASSICAL LIGHT WAVES VISIBLE LIGHT ADDING WAVES TOGETHER—INTERFERENCE INTERFERENCE PATTERNS AND THE OPTICAL INTERFEROMETER

Chapter 4 - The Photoelectric Effect and Einstein’s Explanation

THE PHOTOELECTRIC EFFECT THE WAVE PICTURE DOESN’T WORK EINSTEIN GIVES THE EXPLANATION RED LIGHT EJECTS SLOWER ELECTRONS THAN BLUE LIGHT VERY RED LIGHT DOES NOT EJECT ELECTRONS HOW FAST IS AN EJECTED ELECTRON

Chapter 5 - Light: Waves or Particles?

CLASSICAL DESCRIPTION OF INTERFERENCE DOESN’T WORK FOR PHOTONS A NEW DESCRIPTION OF PHOTONS IN THE INTERFEROMETER A PHOTON INTERFERES WITH ITSELF A PHOTON CAN BE IN TWO PLACES AT ONCE BACK TO SCHRÖDINGER’S CATS BACK TO THE PHOTOELECTRIC EFFECT

Chapter 6 - How Big Is a Photon and the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle

PARTICLES HAVE WAVELENGTHS WHAT A FREE PARTICLE WAVEFUNCTION LOOKS LIKE A PARTICLE WITH WELL-DEFINED MOMENTUM IS SPREAD OVER ALL SPACE INTERFERENCE OF WAVES WITH DIFFERENT WAVELENGTHS THE SUPERPOSITION PRINCIPLE WHERE IS A PARTICLE WHEN IT IS IN A MOMENTUM SUPERPOSITION STATE? THE HEISENBERG UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE

Chapter 7 - Photons, Electrons, and Baseballs

WAVES OR PARTICLES? DIFFRACTION OF LIGHT ELECTRONS AND PHOTONS ARE PARTICLES AND WAVES, BUT BASEBALLS ONLY PARTICLES

Chapter 8 - Quantum Racquetball and the Color of Fruit

THE PARTICLE IN A BOX—CLASSICAL PARTICLE IN A BOX—QUANTUM ENERGIES OF A QUANTUM PARTICLE IN A BOX PARTICLE IN A BOX RESULT RELATED TO REAL SYSTEMS

Chapter 9 - The Hydrogen Atom: The History

THE SOLAR BLACK BODY RADIATION SPECTRUM BOHR’S HYDROGEN ATOM THEORY—NOT QUITE THERE

Chapter 10 - The Hydrogen Atom: Quantum Theory

THE SCHRÖDINGER EQUATION WHAT THE SCHRÖDINGER EQUATION TELLS US ABOUT HYDROGEN THERE ARE FOUR QUANTUM NUMBERS HYDROGEN ATOM ENERGY LEVELS HYDROGEN ATOM s ORBITALS SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF s ORBITALS THE RADIAL DISTRIBUTION FUNCTION THE SHAPES OF THE p ORBITALS THE SHAPES OF THE d ORBITALS

Chapter 11 - Many Electron Atoms and the Periodic Table of Elements

HYDROGEN IS DIFFERENT THE ORBITAL SHAPES MATTER FOR ATOMS LARGER THAN HYDROGEN MANY ELECTRON ATOM ENERGY LEVELS THE THREE RULES FOR PUTTING ELECTRONS IN ENERGY LEVELS THE PERIODIC TABLE OF ELEMENTS

Chapter 12 - The Hydrogen Molecule and the Covalent Bond

TWO HYDROGEN ATOMS THAT ARE FAR APART TWO HYDROGEN ATOMS BROUGHT CLOSE TOGETHER THE BORN-OPPENHEIMER APPROXIMATION FORMING BONDING MOLECULAR ORBITALS BONDING AND ANTIBONDING MOLECULAR ORBITALS PUTTING ELECTRONS IN MOLECULAR ORBITALS THE HYDROGEN MOLECULE EXISTS BUT THE HELIUM MOLECULE DOESN’T

Chapter 13 - What Holds Atoms Together: Diatomic Molecules

SIGMA (σ) AND PI (π) BONDS SIGMA MOLECULAR ORBITALS PI MOLECULAR ORBITALS BONDING IN DIATOMIC MOLECULES: THE FLUORINE MOLECULE THE NEON MOLECULE DOESN’T EXIST THE OXYGEN MOLECULE: HUND’S RULE MATTERS THE NITROGEN MOLECULE SINGLE, DOUBLE, AND TRIPLE BONDS HETERONUCLEAR DIATOMICS VISUAL MODELS OF MOLECULES

Chapter 14 - Bigger Molecules: The Shapes of Polyatomic Molecules

MOLECULAR SHAPES—TETRAHEDRAL METHANE PROMOTING ELECTRONS HYBRID ATOMIC ORBITALS—LINEAR MOLECULES HYBRID ATOMIC ORBITALS—TRIGONAL MOLECULES HYBRID ATOMIC ORBITALS—TETRAHEDRAL MOLECULES HYDROCARBONS WITH SINGLE BOND LARGE HYDROCARBONS HAVE MULTIPLE STRUCTURES DOUBLE AND TRIPLE CARBON-CARBON BONDS

Chapter 15 - Beer and Soap

ALCOHOLS ETHANOL IS A LIQUID AT ROOM TEMPERATURE, NOT A GAS WATER MAKES HYDROGEN BONDS WATER IS A GREAT SOLVENT ETHANOL WILL UNDERGO CHEMICAL REACTIONS WITH OXYGEN METHANOL IS VERY POISONOUS SOAP LARGE HYDROCARBONS ARE OIL AND GREASE LARGE HYDROCARBONS CAN HAVE MANY STRUCTURES OIL AND WATER DON’T MIX THE STRUCTURE OF SOAP MOLECULES

Chapter 16 - Fat, It’s All About the Double Bonds

WHAT IS A FAT MOLECULE? SATURATED AND UNSATURATED FATS THE SHAPES OF FAT MOLECULES SATURATED, MONOUNSATURATED, AND POLYUNSATURATED FATS DOUBLE BONDS IN FATS MATTER CHEMICALLY MODIFIED FATS PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED AND HYDROGENATED FATS HYDROGENATION OF FATS READ THE LABEL TRANS FATS NATURE PRODUCES CIS FATS BUT CHEMICAL PROCESSING PRODUCES TRANS FATS TRANS FATS CAN BE DELETERIOUS WHEN ZERO IS ZERO OMEGA 3 FATTY ACIDS TRIGLYCERIDES CHOLESTEROL

Chapter 17 - Greenhouse Gases

CARBON DIOXIDE FROM BURNING FOSSIL FUELS BURNING METHANE: NATURAL GAS WHAT IS A GREENHOUSE GAS? BURNING FOSSIL FUELS PRODUCES CARBON DIOXIDE CARBON DIOXIDE IS A GREENHOUSE GAS BECAUSE OF QUANTUM MECHANICS THE EARTH’S BLACK BODY SPECTRUM CO GREENHOUSE EFFECT IS QUANTUM MECHANICAL

Chapter 18 - Aromatic Molecules

BENZENE: THE PROTOTYPICAL AROMATIC MOLECULE THE BENZENE DELOCALIZED PI MOLECULAR ORBITALS NAPHTHALENE TREATED AS A PARTICLE IN A BOX PROBLEM

Chapter 19 - Metals, Insulators, and Semiconductors

METALS INSULATORS SEMICONDUCTORS SUPERCONDUCTIVITY

Chapter 20 - Think Quantum

Glossary Index