1. When sodium metal is illuminated with light of wavelength 4.

20 × 102 nm, the stopping

potential is found to be 0.65 V; when the wavelength is changed to 3.10 × 102 nm, the stopping
potential is 1.69 V. Using only these data and the values of the speed of light and the electronic
charge, find the work function of sodium and a value of Planck’s constant. (10 pts.)

2. In Compton scattering, calculate the maximum kinetic energy given to the scattered electron
for a given photon energy. (10 pts.)
3. The WMAP satellite launched in 2001 studied the cosmic microwave background radiation
and was able to chart small fluctuations in the temperature of different regions of the background
radiation. These fluctuations in temperature correspond to regions of large and small density in
the early universe. The satellite was able to measure differences in temperature of 2 × 10−5 K at a
temperature of 2.7250 K. At the peak wavelength, what is the difference in the radiation
intensity per unit wavelength interval between the “hot” and“cold” regions of the background
radiation? (10 pts.)
4. Before a positron and an electron annihilate, they form a sort of “atom” in which each orbits
about their common center of mass with identical speeds. As a result of this motion, the photons
emitted in the annihilation show a small Doppler
shift. In one experiment, the Doppler shift in energy of the photons was observed to be 2.41 keV.

(a) What would be the speed of the electron or positron before the annihilation
to produce this Doppler shift? (10 pts.)

(b) The positrons form these atom-like structures with the nearly “free” electrons in a solid.
Assuming the positron and electron must have about the same speed to form this structure, find
the kinetic energy of the electron. This technique, called “Doppler broadening,” is an important
method for learning about the energies
of electrons in materials. (10 pts.)