Acceleration of electron in hydrogen atom

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on the calculation of the acceleration of an electron in a hydrogen atom based on the electric force exerted by the proton. The calculated acceleration of 9 x 10^22 m/s² raises concerns due to its proximity to the speed of light, suggesting a potential flaw in the classical model used. Participants argue that the textbook's terminology, such as "electric force between electron and nucleus" and "electron centripetal acceleration," is misleading and may not accurately represent atomic behavior. It is suggested that this example might illustrate the limitations of classical mechanics in explaining atomic structure. A more comprehensive quantum mechanical approach is recommended for understanding electron behavior.
ocohen
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Hello,
I am currently reading about electromagnetic fields:

In one of the examples in the textbook we calculate the electric field of a hydrogen proton. We then compute the electric force acting on the orbiting electron to be

8.2 \times 10^{-8} N

So I thought I could get the acceleration magnitude from this by dividing by the mass of an electron.

\frac{ 8.2 \times 10^{-8} N }{9.1 \times 10^{-31} kg} = 9 \times 10 ^{22} \frac{m}{s^2}

It seems like this is too fast due to speed of light. I'm assuming that the fact that the electron is orbiting somehow allows for this. Are my calculations correct? Any info would be appreciated.
 
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What the [...censored out...] is that textbook? It should be withdrawn immediately.
It really makes no sense to use such terms like "electric force between electron and nucleus" and even less "electron centriprocal acceleration".
Or, maybe, the example had been given to show by reductio at absurdum the inapplicability of mechanistical model of atom?
 
ocohen said:
It seems like this is too fast due to speed of light.
Acceleration is not speed. Of course you can use this to calculate the classical, non-relativistic speed. (But this sort of semi-classical model must be ditched for a more complete quantum mechanical treatment anyway.)
 
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