Do Electrons in Higher Energy Orbitals Move Faster Than Those in Lower Ones?

Thread starter Quantom
Start date Apr 4, 2009
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Electron Orbitals

In summary, the concept of electrons in higher energy orbitals moving faster than those in lower energy orbitals is not accurate as electrons do not "move" in the classical sense. The concept of "speed" does not apply to electrons in atoms, as they are more accurately described by a wave function that is "smeared out" around the nucleus and the orbitals indicate the most likely positions to find an electron. The quantum mechanical definition of momentum does not require movement and is instead defined in terms of an operator on the wave function. The Schrödinger Equation works because the speed of electrons in atoms is much slower than the speed of light. The concept of movement is not well defined on the quantum scale and the wave function

Jun 28, 2009

JK423

Gold Member

Any ideas of what`s happening in this case?
If the concept of speed has no meaning in quantum mechanics, then how does an electron move, in classic orbits governed by Newton`s 2nd law, in the first place?