I am pretty much curious to know what actually an electron is? How it

In summary, electron is a fundamental particle with a negative charge and a spin of 1/2. Charge is defined as a property that can generate electric field and the electric field is present when there is a charge. The concept of E&M wave is a fluctuation of the E&M field and photon is a quantum particle that is the property of the E&M wave. The mass of a photon indicates its energy, not its physical mass. The electron does not have a known size or dimension and the idea of an electron wave refers to its wavefunction in quantum mechanics. There are similarities between charge and mass, such as both being properties of fundamental particles.
  • #1
scimad
11
0
I am pretty much curious to know what actually an electron is? How it is? What is CHARGE? Why there are two types of charges? How electron produces electric fields? How the oscillation of such field creates EM wave i.e. photons (which has mass)?
 
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  • #2


I just think that electron creates electric field. And I think that the field are some what elastic like a string and when the charge oscillates, the string like field vibrates and the vibration travels in the electric field as wave.

Is this concept 'LEGAL' with respect to physics?

Furthermore, what are the similarities between electron, or proton or photon (with respect to the matter wave)?
 
  • #3


Electron is a fundamental particle (a fermion) that carries a negative charge (1.37*10^-19C). Charge is defined as a property that can generate electric field around.

The electric field is when there is an charge present. So the question is actually very strange. If you are talking about the intrinsic properties, then you must know quantum mechanics and string theory, but it's no longer classical anymore.

And E&M wave is just a fluctuation of E&M field, so you can not ask "How the oscillation of such field creates EM wave". And photon is a quantum which is the particle property of E&M wave, again explained by quantum mechanics, photon is a wave packet.

Don't confuse the mass here with normal mass we say, because the E=mc^2 explain that if there is energy there would be an equivalent mass. So mass of photon simply indicate that photon contains energy.
 
  • #4


scimad said:
I am pretty much curious to know what actually an electron is?
An electron is a fundamental fermion with spin 1/2, charge -e, mass .5 MeV/c^2.
 
  • #5


Look up Electron on wikipedia and follow the various links to other things, like charge, mass, electric field, etc. I gurantee you that you will have a much greater understanding if you spend some doing this. And you'll probably have even more questions afterward, but that is ok!
 
  • #6


ZealScience said:
Electron is a fundamental particle (a fermion) that carries a negative charge (1.37*10^-19C). Charge is defined as a property that can generate electric field around.

The electric field is when there is an charge present. So the question is actually very strange. If you are talking about the intrinsic properties, then you must know quantum mechanics and string theory, but it's no longer classical anymore.

And E&M wave is just a fluctuation of E&M field, so you can not ask "How the oscillation of such field creates EM wave". And photon is a quantum which is the particle property of E&M wave, again explained by quantum mechanics, photon is a wave packet.

Don't confuse the mass here with normal mass we say, because the E=mc^2 explain that if there is energy there would be an equivalent mass. So mass of photon simply indicate that photon contains energy.

How did you get that number for the charge? Actually e=-1.602*10^-19C
 
  • #7


Matterwave said:
How did you get that number for the charge? Actually e=-1.602*10^-19C

Sorry, misprinted.
 
  • #8


Thanks to all. And one question, does electron have any size or dimension? What does the electron wave mean? And I want to know whether there is some similarities between charge and mass?
 
  • #9


scimad said:
Thanks to all. And one question,
That's three questions, not one :smile:

scimad said:
does electron have any size or dimension?
Not that we have been able to measure with current experimental technology.

scimad said:
What does the electron wave mean?
This is referring to the wavefunction for the electron in quantum mechanics.

scimad said:
And I want to know whether there is some similarities between charge and mass?
They are both single-syllable English words containing the letter "a", they are both properties of fundamental particles in the standard model. I am sure there are more.
 

1. What is an electron?

An electron is a subatomic particle that carries a negative charge. It is one of the fundamental particles that make up an atom, along with protons and neutrons.

2. How was the electron discovered?

The electron was discovered in 1897 by J.J. Thomson through his experiments with cathode ray tubes. He observed that the rays produced in the tubes were actually streams of negatively charged particles, which he called electrons.

3. What is the role of electrons in atoms?

Electrons play a crucial role in determining the chemical and physical properties of atoms. They are responsible for forming chemical bonds between atoms, which creates molecules and compounds. Electrons also determine the electrical conductivity and reactivity of elements.

4. How does an electron move?

Electrons move around the nucleus of an atom in specific energy levels, or orbitals. These orbitals are defined by the amount of energy an electron possesses. Electrons can also move between different energy levels by absorbing or emitting energy in the form of photons.

5. Can we see electrons?

No, we cannot see electrons with the naked eye. They are much smaller than the wavelength of visible light and can only be observed using advanced instruments like scanning electron microscopes. However, we can indirectly detect their presence and behavior through experiments and observations.

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