Weblink 16.1 The energy levels and wavefunctions of a particle in a box

This applet shows how the energy levels and wavefunctions vary as the width of the box and the mass of the particle are varied. The walls of the box are the vertical blue lines, and the energies of the levels are represented by the horizontal lines in the box. For each level, the corresponding wavefunction is plotted assuming that the horizontal line (representing the energy) is the x-axis. The quantum number n of each level is shown in the right.

• Move the sliders to vary the width of the box and the mass of the particle
• Use the radio buttons to select whether or not the wavefunction is displayed, or to select display of the square of the wavefunction
• Note: the markings on the left are incorrect: the lowest level should be E₁, not E₀ (there is no level with n = 0)