ABSTRACT
In chapter 1 I pointed out the value of microcomputers in the teaching of quantum mechanics, where they allow the use of numerical illustrative examples alongside the exposition of the algebraic formalism. In this chapter I give two examples of educational value. They both involve simple one-dimensional calculations which can be treated numerically, but they illustrate basic principles which are of value in quantum chemistry and in solid state physics. The first example illustrates the use of the Born-Oppenheimer approximation in the theory of chemical bond formation, and uses the simple finite-difference methods developed in chapter 10. The second illustrates the formation of energy bands for electrons moving in a periodic potential, and uses the recurrence relations for tridiagonal matrices which were explained in chapter 8.
