Nice things about mean fields: Mean field potentials for the classroom

We present two examples which use a mean field potential to determine valen ce electron and nucleon energy levels in atoms and nuclei, respectively. In atoms, we compute the energy levels of the alkali elements, and in nuclei the binding energy of valence nucleons in minor nuclei are calculated. In b oth cases, the student can compare the results with experiment and vary the parameters of the calculation to best fit the data. (C) 2000 American Asso ciation of Physics Teachers.