A beam of neutrons has a measured de Broglie wavelength of

PHYSICS · Multi-part · A Level · Physics · Particles and radiation · Particles and radiation

Problem

A beam of neutrons has a measured de Broglie wavelength of 0.50 A˚0.50\,\text{Å}. Given the neutron mass mn=1.67×10−27 kgm_{n}=1.67\times10^{-27}\,\text{kg} and Planck’s constant h=6.63×10−34 J sh=6.63\times10^{-34}\,\text{J s}, answer the following. (i) Calculate the linear momentum of each neutron. (ii) Determine the kinetic energy of a neutron in electron-volt and joule. (iii) Compute the speed of the neutron and comment briefly on whether the non-relativistic approximation used in your calculation is justified.

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