Question about electrons and how we interact with them

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    Electrons
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the nature of electrons, their interactions with matter, and the implications of hypothetical scenarios involving charged bodies. Participants explore concepts related to electromagnetic forces, ionic bonding, and the exclusion principle in the context of solid matter and stability.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests that the repulsion between electrons in the body and those in a chair prevents one from passing through the other.
  • Another participant proposes that if a body were to have an all positive charge, it could theoretically stick to normal matter, relating this to ionic bonding.
  • A different viewpoint emphasizes that the force exerted by the chair on a person also plays a critical role in preventing them from falling through.
  • One participant references a work by Dyson regarding the exclusion principle, arguing that it is crucial for the stability of bulk matter rather than electromagnetic repulsion.
  • Another participant questions the accuracy of the previous claim about the exclusion principle, stating that it applies only to identical particles and not between electrons and protons.
  • A later reply speculates that a body with an all positive charge might explode, introducing uncertainty about the consequences of such a scenario.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the role of electromagnetic forces and the exclusion principle in the stability of matter. There is no consensus on the implications of a positively charged body interacting with normal matter, and the discussion remains unresolved regarding the accuracy of certain claims.

Contextual Notes

Some claims rely on specific interpretations of physical principles, and there are unresolved questions about the definitions and applications of the exclusion principle and ionic bonding in this context.

DARTZ
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Okay from what I know electrons are what we touch (repel) when we are holding normal solid matter. For example, when I am sitting on a chair the electrons of my body or repelling the electrons of the chair making me hover and not go through the chair.

Now, since electrons have a negative charge, theoretically speaking if my body was to have an all positive charge, would I stick to normal matter? Why is it positively charged masses don't stick to normal matter?
 
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great question. I am going to say yes. that would be ionic bonding on a large scale. but that is not the only reason why we don't fall through the chair; the chair itself exerts a force on us in an equal and opposite direction.
 
"A seminal work by Dyson came in 1966 when, together with A. Lenard and independently of Elliott H. Lieb and Walter Thirring, he proved rigorously that the exclusion principle plays the main role in the stability of bulk matter [10]. Hence, it is not the electromagnetic repulsion between electrons and nuclei that is responsible for two wood blocks that are left on top of each other not coalescing into a single piece, but rather it is the exclusion principle applied to electrons and protons that generates the classical macroscopic normal force."
 
DARTZ said:
theoretically speaking if my body was to have an all positive charge, would I stick to normal matter?

Theoretically, I think that you would explode.
 
Freeman Dyson said:
"A seminal work by Dyson came in 1966 when, together with A. Lenard and independently of Elliott H. Lieb and Walter Thirring, he proved rigorously that the exclusion principle plays the main role in the stability of bulk matter [10]. Hence, it is not the electromagnetic repulsion between electrons and nuclei that is responsible for two wood blocks that are left on top of each other not coalescing into a single piece, but rather it is the exclusion principle applied to electrons and protons that generates the classical macroscopic normal force."

Is that a quote from somewhere? There are two very obvious wrong things there: electrons and nuclei don't repel each other, and the exclusion principle is only applied between identical particles, not between electrons and protons.
 

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