We review the use of dimensional analysis as a tool for the systematic study and analysis of physical concepts and phenomena at multiple levels in the physics curriculum. After reviewing the methodology of its use and citing examples from classical physics, we illustrate how it can be applied to problems in quantum mechanics, including research-level problems, noting both its power and its limitations.
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A short “dictionary” compiling the L, T, M, Q, Θ spelling of many basic dimensionful quantities, as well as a collection of problems similar to ones considered here, is provided as an online supplement to this article at E-AJPIAS-83-015501, and is also available at <http://users.phys.psu.edu/~rick/DimensionalAnalysis.html>.
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2015
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