Calculate your De Broglie wavelength, calculate the De Broglie wave length of a 5 MeV alpha particle. Compare your De Broglie wavelength to the size of an automobile. Compare the alpha particle's De Broglie wavelength to the size of an uranium atoms diameter, which situation requires quantum mechanics?
value of De - broglie wavelength is calculated in the image inserted.
An automobile has a huge mass, due to which its de broglie wavelength is very very small and the quantum effects are negligible.
We need quantum mechanics to compare the wavelength of alpha particle to the uranium atom because of uncertainty principle, which limits our calculation of measuring the diameter of uranium atom. Particles with very small masses are not well localized, so we talk in terms of their probability function, hence we need quantum mechanics for them.
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