# Electrostatic Force Between Proton and Neutron?

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1. May 17, 2015

### James Halliday

After calculating the force upon an electron and a force upon a proton in the atom of hydrogen, my result was a force of ≈8.2x10-8 Newtons acting upon the electron and proton each.
If found this by using the formula Fe = (ke q1q2)/r2

Taking this number, I then applied it in the formula F = ma to find the acceleration of the electron.
I found the acceleration of the electron to be ≈9.02x1022 m/s/s.

This doesn't seem right. Am I supposed to be using a different equation for this. I'm trying to find the acceleration of the electron based on the force acting upon it. I don't think this is how it's supposed to be calculated but I just did this because I thought it might be correct. The mass I used was ≈9.1x10-31 kg

2. May 17, 2015

### Orodruin

Staff Emeritus
You cannot treat an atom as if it was a solar system. At the atomic level, you should leave notions of forces and acceleration behind as it is governed mainly by quantum physics.

If you anyway do not do that, yes accelerations will be huge.