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Determining how a Magnetic Field Changes a Particle's State

Keywords: Magnetic moment, Quantum Mechanics, Probabilities, Postulate four, Small groups

spspinhalfbfield.jpg

Highlights of the activity

  1. For this activity, students are placed into small groups and asked to use the SPINS program to find how a magnet in the program affects the state of an incoming particle.
  2. Students will calculate the probability that the $\vert \psi \rangle$ made by the magnet will be measured in the $\vert \phi \rangle$ state, where $\phi$ can be any one of spin-up or spin-down states with x,y, or z-orientation.

Reasons to spend class time on the activity

Typically, once the activities start with the Stern-Gerlach experiment, students will often lose sight of how the Stern-Gerlach device actually separates spin-up or spin-down particles. This activity has students revisit the idea that an external magnetic field can result in a change of state in a particle. Students will also have practice calculating probabilities and using these probabilities to determine how a change in the strength of the magnet will change the state of an incoming particle.

Reflections

Instructor's Guide

Student Handouts

spspinhalfbfieldhand.doc

spspinhalfbfieldhand.pdf

spspinhalfbfieldhand.tex


Authors: David H. McIntyre, Corinne Manogue
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