- #1
icecubebeast
- 66
- 3
If the electrons are negative charged and nucleus is positively charged, then why do electrons still orbit around the nucleus at a distance and not just stick to the nucleus?
But why does the electron stay at a distance away from the nucleus instead of sticking?Bystander said:The Bohr atom and little tiny charged marbles "orbiting" one another like a miniature solar system is NOT a reflection of what is actually happening; it WAS a model that was used well over a century ago to investigate certain initial hypotheses of the mechanics of very small systems. The current quantum mechanical model of interactions of electrons with atomic nuclei gives you ONLY the probability of finding an electron at a certain distance "r" in a certain direction θ, φ from the nucleus. It does not describe an orbital trajectory.
It is due to the uncertainty principle. If the electron is stuck to the nucleus then the uncertainty in its position is very small so the uncertainty in its momentum is very large. This in turn means that the average kinetic energy is high. Since an atom likes to be in a low-energy state it will give off energy to go to a state where the position is more uncertain and the momentum less uncertain.icecubebeast said:But why does the electron stay at a distance away from the nucleus instead of sticking?
Bystander said:The current quantum mechanical model of interactions of electrons with atomic nuclei gives you ONLY the probability of finding an electron at a certain distance "r" in a certain direction θ, φ from the nucleus.
icecubebeast said:If the electrons are negative charged and nucleus is positively charged, then why do electrons still orbit around the nucleus at a distance and not just stick to the nucleus?
Electrons are able to orbit around the nucleus because of the balance between the attractive force of the positively charged nucleus and the repulsive force between two negatively charged particles. This balance is maintained by the electron's high speed and angular momentum.
The electron's angular momentum and high speed create a centrifugal force that counteracts the attractive force of the nucleus. This centrifugal force keeps the electron in orbit around the nucleus without being pulled in.
The electron maintains its orbit around the nucleus due to its wave-like nature. It behaves as both a particle and a wave, and this wave-like behavior allows it to exist in multiple places at once, preventing it from collapsing into the nucleus.
No, an electron cannot collide with the nucleus because of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. This principle states that it is impossible to know the exact position and momentum of a particle at the same time. Therefore, the electron's position is always uncertain, making it impossible for it to collide with the nucleus.
No, it is not possible for an electron to stick to the nucleus because of the repulsive force between two negatively charged particles. The electron's energy is also too high to allow it to become trapped in the nucleus.