Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-physics-a-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2018/paper-2/section-a/a5/solution

Under the one-carrier Drude model, the magnitude of the Hall coefficient gives an effective carrier density
Convert the material mass density to and its molar mass to . The atomic number density is
Here is the Avogadro constant. The positive Hall coefficient gives a hole-like response in a one-carrier interpretation. The Hall carrier count versus valence distinction matters: beryllium has two valence electrons, but the result is neither two free Electrons nor a literal fractional atom donating charge. Its energy bands and Fermi surface invalidate the simple isotropic one-carrier inference. Electron-like and hole-like contributions with different charge carrier mobilities can yield this sign and effective count.

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