- #1
David Carroll
- 181
- 13
Sorry for the brevity of the post, but eloquence has never been my strong point. Here's my question:
In a proton-surfeited atom, a proton captures an electron to form a neutron. Now, according to Coulomb's law, the magnitude of the electrostatic force field is equal to (kq1q2)/d2, where k is Coulomb's constant, q1 is the charge of the proton and q2 is the charge of the electron, and d is the distance between the proton and electron. Now, given that neither k, q1, nor q2 is changing, shouldn't the magnitude of the electrostatic force field approach infinity as the electron spirals toward the proton? Does it?
In a proton-surfeited atom, a proton captures an electron to form a neutron. Now, according to Coulomb's law, the magnitude of the electrostatic force field is equal to (kq1q2)/d2, where k is Coulomb's constant, q1 is the charge of the proton and q2 is the charge of the electron, and d is the distance between the proton and electron. Now, given that neither k, q1, nor q2 is changing, shouldn't the magnitude of the electrostatic force field approach infinity as the electron spirals toward the proton? Does it?