Computations for a Finite Quantum Well

Computers in physics teaching can do difficult or impossible calculations and can make pictures or animations that illustrate concepts not amenable to direct physical demonstrations. This talk will show both of these uses of computers. An example of the first use is the PICUP exercise set "Light Emission from a Finite Well", which has students write or adapt code to find the width and depth of a well that would produce a photon of a particular wavelength. An example of the second use is a program and a spreadsheet that each graphically shows how changing the well parameters affects the wavefunction and the energy of a bound level.