Problems are listed in approximate order of difficulty. A single dot (•) indicates straigh...

Problems are listed in approximate order of difficulty. A single dot (•) indicates straightforward problems involving just one main concept and sometimes requiring no more than substitution of numbers in the appropriate formula. Two dots (••) identify problems that are slightly more challenging and usually involve more than one concept. Three dots (•••) indicate problems that are distinctly more challenging, either because they are intrinsically difficult or involve lengthy calculations. Needless to say, these distinctions are hard to draw and are only approximate.

•• The energy levels for a rectangular rigid box with sides a and b are given by Eq. (8.102). When a ≠ b, some of the degeneracies noticed for the square box (Fig. 8.2) are no longer present. To illustrate this, find the lowest six levels and their degeneracies for the case a = 1.1b. Compare with the levels for the case a = b (Fig. 8.2). Your results will illustrate a general trend: When one reduces the symmetry of a system, its degeneracies usually decrease.