National Institute of Technology, Rourkela

Mid Semester Examination, 2016

Session: 2015 -16, Spring Semester
Programme: Btech. 2nd Semester
Dept. Code: PH, Sub. Code: PH102, Sub. Name: Physics II
Full Marks: 30, No. of Pages: 2, Duration of Exam: 2 hours

Figures at the right hand margin indicate marks

Answer all the questions

Section A 2x6

1. What are the differences between bosons and fermions ? Give two examples of
each.

2. Obtain the specific heat of solid as per the Dulong-Petit law. What are the
limitations of this law ?

3. Show that the average electron energy at absolute zero temperature in a Fermi
gas is ǭ = 35 ǫF

4. Plot the potential energy versus interatomic distance (r) of coulombic, repulsive
and total contribution to potential energy of ionic crystal.

5. Gold has an atomic mass of 197 u, a density of 19.3 ×103 kg/m3 , a Fermi
energy of 5.54 eV, and a resistivity of 2.04×10−8 ohm m. Estimate the mean free
path in atom spacings between collisions of the free electrons in gold under the
assumption that each gold atom contributes one electron to the electron gas.

6. Draw the band structure of carbon and silicon. Explain the electrical conductivity
of diamond and silicon on the basis of band structure.

1
 Section B 3x6

7. The Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution for non-interacting freely moving gas is

2
m
given by n(v)dv = 4πN( 2πkT )3/2 v2 e−mv /2kT dv. Using this distribution derive ex-
pression for the most probable speed and the average speed. Why these values
are different ?

8. The Fermi energy of cupper is 7.04 eV. What is the average energy of the free
electrons in cupper at 0 K and what temperature is necessary for the average
molecular energy in an ideal gas to have this value ? What is the speed of an
electron with this energy ?

9. Find the specific heat at constant volume of 1.00 cm3 of radiation in thermal
equilibrium at 1000 K.

10. The ionization energy of potassium is 4.34 eV and the electron affinity of chlorine
is 3.61 eV. The Madelung constant for the KCl structure is 1.748 and the distance
between ions of opposite sign is 0.314 nm. On the basis of these data only,
compute the cohesive energy of KCl.

11. i) For a 2D square lattice, draw the first and second brillouin zones and then
show energy contours in them. ii) Find the ratio between the kinetic energies of
an electron in a two-dimensional square lattice which has kx = ky = πa and an
electron which has kx = πa and ky = 0.

12. Plot E versus k diagram for crystal and discuss the origin of band gaps at the
boundary of the brillouin zones.

Universal gas constant=1.99 cal/mole . K

Boltzmann’s constant k=1.381×10−23 J/K
1 a.m.u = 1.66×10−27 Kg
Value of h̄ = 1.054 × 10−34
Stefan’s constant σ = 5.67 × 10−8 W/m2 K 4