Modular values and weak values of quantum observables

It is said that the energy of an electron in an atom is quantized; that is, it can be equal only to certain specific values and can jump from one energy level to another but not transition smoothly or stay between these levels.

Shortly after de Broglie published his ideas that the electron in a hydrogen atom could be better thought of as being a circular standing wave instead of a particle moving in quantized circular orbits, Erwin Schrödinger extended de Broglie’s work by deriving what is now known as the Schrödinger equation. When Schrödinger applied his equation to hydrogen-like atoms, he was able to reproduce Bohr’s expression for the energy and, thus, the Rydberg formula governing hydrogen spectra. Schrödinger...

The first law of thermodynamics establishes that the change in internal energy of a system is given by ΔU = q + w, where q is the heat exchanged, and w is the work performed. For a perfect gas, both internal energy (U) and enthalpy (H) depend solely on temperature. Consequently, for any change of state, whether reversible or irreversible, the internal energy change is determined by integrating the heat capacity at constant volume, and the enthalpy change by integrating the heat capacity at...

Thermodynamic systems undergoing phase transitions or temperature changes experience energy transfer in the form of heat (q) and work (w). For a reversible phase change at constant temperature (T) and pressure (p), the process involves no chemical reaction but results in energy exchange between distinct phases.The heat transferred during this process corresponds to the latent heat of transition, which is the amount of heat energy absorbed or released by a substance when it changes from one...

In any system of units, the units for some physical quantities must be specified through a measurement process. These measurements are the base quantities of the system, and their units are the base units of the system. The algebraic combinations of the base values can then be used to express all other physical quantities. Each of these physical quantities is then referred to as a derived quantity, with each unit being referred to as a derived unit.
The International Organization for...

On many occasions, physicists, other scientists, and engineers need to make estimates of a particular quantity. These are sometimes referred to as guesstimates, order-of-magnitude approximations, back-of-the-envelope calculations, or Fermi calculations. The physicist Enrico Fermi was famous for his ability to estimate various kinds of data with surprising precision. Estimating does not mean guessing a number or a formula at random. Instead, estimation means using prior experience and sound...