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PC2174A 2022 Tutorial 02

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20 views

PC2174A 2022 Tutorial 02

Uploaded by

Nicky Nel
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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PC2174A: Mathematical Methods in Physics I

Tutorial 2

1. Identify the series


∞
X (−1)n+1 x2n
,
n=1 (2n − 1)!
and then, by integration and differentiation, deduce the values of the following series:
∞
X (−1)n+1 n2 ∞
X (−1)n+1 n
(a) , (b) ,
n=1 (2n)! n=1 (2n + 1)!
∞
X (−1)n+1 nπ 2n ∞
X (−1)n (n + 1)
(c) n
, (d) .
n=1 4 (2n − 1)! n=0 (2n)!

2. In Physics, the result of calculation is often expressed as an integral. Frequently, an analytic


solution to these integrals is not known or it is so complex that it gives very little insight into the
physical nature of the solution. As an alternative, one will often find an asymptotic evaluation of
these integrals corresponding to either large or small values of the parameter.
(a) Consider the following integral  x
2
F (x) ≡ e−u du .
0
For x ≪ 1, show that
F (x) ≈ x + O(x3 ) .
Hint: Integrate term-by-term the series expansion of the integrand.
(b) Consider the following integral  ∞
2
G(x) ≡ e−u du .
x
For x ≫ 1, show that
1 −x2 1
 
G(x) ≈ e +O 3 .
2x x
2 2
Hint: Derivative of exp(−u ) is −2u exp(−u ) and integration by parts.

3. In a very simple model of a crystal, point-like atomic ions are regularly spaced along an infinite
one-dimensional row with spacing R. Alternate ions carry equal and opposite charges ±e. The
potential energy of the ith ion in the electric field due to another ion, the jth, is
qi qj
Uij = ,
4πϵ0 rij
where qi , qj are the charges on the ions, rij is the distance between them and ϵ0 is a constant known
as permittivity of vacuum. Write down a series giving the total contribution Ui of the ith ion to the
overall potential energy. Show that the series converges, and, if Ui is written as
αe2
Ui = ,
4πϵ0 R
find a closed-form expression for α, known as the Madelung constant for this unrealistic lattice.

Last updated: August 19, 2022 3:20 pm

Page 1 of 1 Semester I, 2022/23

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