Question about electrons and nuclei

[ranrod]

I had some questions about this too. I also asked it on a different folder, but here it is:

I'm hoping someone has a good analogy or way to explain this, which I understand in terms learning the words, but I don't have an intuitive understanding of it. Why don't electrons fly into the nucleus? Electrons are negative, the nucleus is positive, in we go! Much like planets around the sun, I'm sure some electrons would end up in orbit. The electrons have 'too much energy' (going too fast?), and the harder the Nucleus tries to pull them in, the tighter they would spin around the nucleus, never going in. 3 problems I don't grasp about this:

1) If you have a row of copper atoms, for instance, and you pass a current through it, no electrons end up inside any of the nuclei? How come? If I shoot an asteroid straight at the sun, it's going in, not orbit! There's the concept of electron clouds and shells and probability and such, but an electron is a discrete thing. We can shoot a single electron in a vacuum tube at a target and hit it exactly (like we used to do with TVs). On old vacuum tubes we could carve shapes on the inside of the tube with an electron stream. If I line up an electron exactly to a bare nucleus (a nucleus with no electrons orbiting it), would the electron not fall right in?

2) if I have a metal table, and I press down on it with my hand, the table electrons are not pressed into their nuclei? why? If I put a rocket on the dark side of Venus that pushes Venus towards the sun, it's eventually going in! (Venus works 'cause the same side faces the Sun constantly - a rocket on the dark side would push perpendicular to the tangent of Venus' orbit - straight towards the Sun!)

3) Sometimes Electron-like radiation, escape from inside the nucleus. That just doesn't make sense. A tiny negative charge flying away from a giant positive charge? Specially since it happens in nuclei that are big with a huge positive energy, like Uranium.It seems like only the power of a neutron star is strong enough to force those electrons in, and I just can't understand that. Electrons are tiny, it seems like much smaller forces could do the job.

 

[alxm]

Electrons pass near the nucleus all the time.

 

[charng]

Hello,

Thank you for your questions about electrons and nuclei. I understand that it can be difficult to intuitively grasp the behavior of these particles, but let me try to provide some explanations that may help.

1) The reason electrons do not fly into the nucleus is due to the concept of energy levels and the laws of quantum mechanics. Electrons can only exist in certain energy levels or orbitals around the nucleus, and these levels correspond to specific distances from the nucleus. When an electron is in one of these energy levels, it has a stable orbit and will not fall into the nucleus. Think of it like a ladder - if you are standing on one of the rungs, you are stable and will not fall down. However, if you are standing between the rungs, you are less stable and may fall down. Similarly, electrons in between energy levels are unstable and will eventually fall into the nucleus.

2) The reason why the electrons in a metal table are not pressed into their nuclei when you press down on it is because of the repulsive force between electrons. Electrons have a negative charge and they repel each other, so when you press down on the table, the electrons simply move away from each other, rather than being pushed into the nucleus. This is also why electrons in atoms do not crash into each other - their negative charges repel each other and keep them at a certain distance.

3) The concept of electron-like radiation escaping from inside the nucleus is known as radioactive decay. This occurs in certain unstable nuclei, where the strong nuclear force that holds the nucleus together is not strong enough to overcome the repulsive force between protons. As a result, the nucleus emits particles such as alpha particles (consisting of two protons and two neutrons) or beta particles (electrons or positrons) in order to become more stable. This process may seem counterintuitive, but it is a natural occurrence in certain nuclei.

I hope these explanations help to provide a better understanding of electrons and nuclei. It is important to remember that these particles behave according to the laws of quantum mechanics, which can be quite different from our everyday intuitive understanding of the world. Keep asking questions and exploring these concepts, and you will continue to deepen your understanding of the fascinating world of particles and atoms.