Re: electron

patrick wrote:

[snip]


Bjoern
In Beiser Concepts of Modern Physics (an old edition) is done a calculation for the electron in Hydrogen atom. 

How? What line of reasoning does he use in the calculation?


The average x postion is shown to be a constant over time. 

Averaged over what?


This would put the electron in a stationary position. 

Huh? Just because the *average* position is constant does not imply
that there is a "stationary position".


And would rule out any kind of orbit.This would be consistent with what you have been saying and no radiation would result.

This vision of electrons in a bunch of H atoms sitting in stationary positions all at different fixed positions indefinitely (until observed/measured) sounds a bit strange. 

I repeat: don't try to envision electrons as little balls. Doesn't work.

The picture you first presented (electrons made up of very many small
subparticles which whizz around in the atom) is (IMO) the one which comes closest to what's actually going on; analogous to picturing the electron as a "charge cloud" in the atom. You can use this picture
as long as you remember that it's only an analogy used for visualization, that there are not *really* myriads of small subparticles whizzing around there.


Classically one expects them to just drop into the nucleus.

The other possibility is the the electrons dont exist at any position until they are observed which seems a bit less strange.

Yes, that's very close to what QM actually says. Unfortunately, this is not easily visualizable.

Did you get my book recommendation? Styer, "The strange world of QM"


Bye,
Bjoern
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Video of cubic atomic model explains all
    ... Rutherford experiment disproved it more than a century ago. ... It had no fixed structure and distributed the electrons ... center of the atom as a 'plum pudding' model, ... alpha particles follow newtonian ...
    (sci.physics)
  • Re: Video of cubic atomic model explains all
    ... It had no fixed structure and distributed the electrons ... this extremely crude model with the Rutherford experiment. ... volume of the atom. ... alpha particles follow newtonian ...
    (sci.physics)
  • Re: Is TomGee the God of Physics?
    ... Is it instantly converted into electron energy, ... photons affect all electrons in its path, ... A beam of light photons? ... > an atom are often pretty well shielded from fields external to the atom. ...
    (sci.physics)
  • Re: Questions about Size of Atoms?
    ... but not changing the main properties of the nuc. ... the nuc is govern the electrons - not vice versa. ... because the electron is one of the building stones of the Atom ... the bond is *in another direction to another Atom* ...
    (sci.physics)
  • Re: My New Website
    ... > the Au atom, ... does it explain it based on 79 electrons ... >>>nuclear charge (it's not the full charge Z due to the screening by the ... It's based on QM calculations. ...
    (sci.physics)