Final answer:
In a system where four oscillator-like particles share 8 units of energy, option a) is correct, with each particle having 2 units of energy. Other options lead to a total energy not equal to 8 units. The concept of energy quantization is important in quantum mechanics.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question is about how a system of four oscillator-like particles can share a total of 8 units of energy. Since we have four particles, and the sum of their energies must equal 8 units, the most straightforward distribution is to divide the total energy equally among all particles. This means each particle would have:
- Option a) 2 units of energy each, because 2 units/particle × 4 particles = 8 units.
The options to have each particle holding 3, 4, or 1 unit of energy cannot be correct because having 3 units of energy for each would sum to 12 units, 4 units would sum to 16 units, and 1 unit would add up to just 4 units; none of these totals matches the given constraint of 8 units.
From the additional information provided about quantum oscillators and the quantization of energy, we learn that such systems can only have specific, discrete amounts of energy (quantization), often represented as an integer multiple of a base unit of energy. These concepts are a cornerstone of quantum mechanics and have numerous implications in physics.