Helium Atom: Perpetual Motion Possibility?

heliocentricprose · Sep 5, 2006

Is a helium atom (or any atom with a full valence shell) a perpetual motion device?

Bystander · Sep 5, 2006

Yes, if you subscribe to the Bohr model of an electron in an atom as a moving particle, orbiting the nucleus. "Is it a perpetual motion machine of the '2nd kind' ?" No. First and second laws deal with conversion of heat into other forms of energy.

HallsofIvy · Sep 5, 2006

But, of course, the "Bohr" model was never considered, even by Bohr, to be a very accurate picture of the atom and has long been superceded by the "electron cloud" model.

Helium Atom: Perpetual Motion Possibility?

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Helium Atom: Perpetual Motion Possibility?

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