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kelly0303
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Hello! If I have an atom traveling with a given velocity and I ionize it in flight, will the electron remain at the place of ionization, or it will travel at the same speed along with the resulted ion? Thank you!
Depends on how you peform this miraculous act !kelly0303 said:and I ionize it in flight
kelly0303 said:will the electron remain at the place of ionization, or it will travel at the same speed along with the resulted ion?
kelly0303 said:Hello! If I have an atom traveling with a given velocity and I ionize it in flight, will the electron remain at the place of ionization, or it will travel at the same speed along with the resulted ion? Thank you!
@kelly0303 -- Are you doing this on Earth? In a vacuum or in the atmosphere? If in a vacuum, say the two stay close together at first, what effect would the Earth's magnetic field have on those oppositely charged particles?Vanadium 50 said:You do realize those are not your only two choices?
An electron being at rest depends on your reference frame. What you ask is, therefore, physically meaningless.kelly0303 said:Hello! If I have an atom traveling with a given velocity and I ionize it in flight, will the electron remain at the place of ionization, or it will travel at the same speed along with the resulted ion? Thank you!
"Rest" is a concept dependant on frame of reference. There is no such thing as an object with energy at rest, only rest relative to other objects.PeroK said:An electron being at rest depends on your reference frame. What you ask is, therefore, physically meaningless.
I do not understand your comment. The question is quite carefully framed and the references to motion obviously refer to the lab frame. It seems unnecessarilly didactic to me.PeroK said:An electron being at rest depends on your reference frame. What you ask is, therefore, physically meaningless.
If the original atom were at rest in the lab frame, then it would make some sense. But, you can't have a process that depends on the lab frame. The original velocity is arbitrary.hutchphd said:I do not understand your comment. The question is quite carefully framed and the references to motion obviously refer to the lab frame. It seems unnecessarilly didactic to me.
Doe the electron "remains at the place of ionization" have an ambiguity I am not seeing?
If the atom has a velocity of vA in one frame and the electron has velocity zero, then wouldn't the velocity of the electron also be vA if the atom were at rest (v = 0)? So the same would be true of lab B, and velocity vB - it would have a velocity of 0 while the electron would have the velocity vB (relative to the atom), then the electron's velocity would be the difference of vA and vB, correct? Or am I doing the math wrong? Or is it not possible to use the atom as the frame of reference instead of the electron in a workable manner?PeroK said:If the original atom were at rest in the lab frame, then it would make some sense. But, you can't have a process that depends on the lab frame. The original velocity is arbitrary.
In lab A the atom has velocity ##v_A## and the electron has velocity ##0##.
In lab B the atom has velocity ##v_B## and the electron has velocity ##0##.
The two experiments are identical, only the lab frame varies and yet the electron must be at rest in both frames?
That makes no physical sense to me
The direction of an ionized electron's travel is determined by the electric field it is exposed to. The electron will be attracted to the positively charged end of the field and repelled by the negatively charged end, causing it to move in the direction of the field lines.
Yes, an ionized electron can change its direction of travel if it encounters a different electric field or if it collides with another particle. However, it will always be influenced by the electric field it is exposed to and will continue to move in the direction of the field lines.
The direction of an ionized electron's travel can affect its behavior in various ways. For example, if it is moving towards a positively charged ion, it may be captured and form a stable bond. On the other hand, if it is moving towards a negatively charged ion, it may be repelled and continue to move in a different direction.
The direction of an ionized electron's travel can be influenced by the strength and direction of the electric field it is exposed to, as well as the presence of other charged particles in its surroundings. The electron's initial velocity and energy level can also play a role in its direction of travel.
An ionized electron's charge and direction of travel are closely related. Since the electron has a negative charge, it will always be attracted to positively charged particles and repelled by negatively charged particles, causing it to move in the direction of the electric field lines. However, the electron's charge does not determine its direction of travel, as it can still change direction depending on the factors mentioned in the previous questions.