Centripetal Force hydrogen atom

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the centripetal force acting on an electron in the Bohr model of the hydrogen atom, specifically using the given speed of the electron and the radius of its orbit.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to use the centripetal force formula but expresses uncertainty about the mass needed for the calculation. Participants question whether the mass of the electron or the hydrogen atom is required and emphasize the importance of using SI units.

Discussion Status

Some participants provide guidance on identifying the correct mass to use, leading to a realization by the original poster that they initially used the wrong mass. This clarification appears to have enabled progress in their calculations.

Contextual Notes

There was confusion regarding the mass of the electron versus the mass of the hydrogen atom, which impacted the original poster's calculations. The need for SI units was also highlighted as a crucial aspect of the problem.

gswagmoney
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Question:
In the Bohr model of the hydrogen atom,
the speed of the electron is approximately
2.18 × 106 m/s.
Find the central force acting on the electron
as it revolves in a circular orbit of radius
5.02 × 10−11 m.
Answer in units of N.
Comment on Attempt:
Ok I tried using the centripetal force formula of F=mv^2/r , but i wasn't given the mass. So i looked it up, the mass being 1.007, and it still wasn't the correct answer. I'm not sure if I need to somehow cancel out the mass with another formula, Thank you for helping :-)
 
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Hello and welcome to PF!
Did you look up the mass of the electron or the mass of the hydrogen atom? Which one do you need? Also, make sure you find the value of the mass in SI units.
 
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TSny said:
Hello and welcome to PF!
Did you look up the mass of the electron or the mass of the hydrogen atom? Which one do you need? Also, make sure you find the value of the mass in SI units.
YAY! Ok I misread and just found the mass of a hydrogen atom, not the electon, which is 9.1e-31 and when I plugged that into the equation it worked! I cannot tell you how happy I am right now, Thank You so much for replying to me, this made my day. Thank You again
 
OK. Good work!
 

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