Energy Density and Classical Average Energy

Classically, expectation values of a quantity are found by integrating the quantity times probabJJity
of the quantity ofbeing at that particular value over the entire range of values for that quantity.
You should have seen this in PH235 when finding the average speed of a molecule at a particular
temperature (see Chapter 18 Young and Freedman).

Classically, blackbody radiation was expected to behave the same way. The energy of the radiation
was thought to take on any value and to find the average (or expectation value) of the energy for
the radiation, f, the equation:

f = fef(c)dc
0

was used. Where f (c) was the classical Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution for a simple harmonic
oscillator:

Do the integral (note change variables x= ,/,,r, and use: J0 xe-x dx = 1).
~;tsJ:,d-,. : ~.;r
00
1.
d>
'f =f£ -t((.) d6
Ct>
x~ i4bT
o 6'1. = K,T -0 af_
j
0
(t.io;;) 1<;! & '· 1
/
-1-
()°)(=- i{~d~

2. Subsititu~_µ.(,l)..to_geLdas ical (Rayleigh-Jean) energy density of radiation:

'611' ( 1 61
~\
uea)-: ~ 1

3. Does this look like "experimental" blackbody curve? Where does it fail? What happens to it

~LIJ1)
1'1-i -

a.~,,,,l\ ,I --:v__ -
r '.'."' :_:•,peri~::~:;':•:_ • -' \.,;\
_r~ I ~,(L ,, ,l @ J.,j'~-
1'>' '•'< r= hl,, II"
,.,,,.hl•~ ,v,\ h,\s @
c,,-
S',..-\ .....,blj-1\l\,

SI Pa ge