B The energy of a molecule has what sign?

Click For Summary
Molecular energy values can be negative, reflecting their relative energy states compared to an arbitrary zero point. For example, a molecule with energy -75 Ha is at a lower energy state than one with -70 Ha, indicating that it requires energy input to transition between these states. The negative sign in energy values does not imply all molecules have negative energies; rather, it is a convention based on the reference point chosen. The physical significance lies in the change in potential energy between configurations rather than the absolute values themselves. Understanding these concepts is crucial for interpreting molecular energy in scientific contexts.
Lotto
Messages
253
Reaction score
16
TL;DR
Is it negative or positive? I saw it with negative sign. If it is correct, then why is the energy negative?
And have all molecules or even atoms negative energies? So when a molecule have energy let's say -70 Ha and the other -75 Ha, does it mean that the second molecule has a lower energy?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Lotto said:
I saw it with negative sign.

Where did you see it? Show us.
 
Lotto said:
TL;DR Summary: Is it negative or positive? I saw it with negative sign. If it is correct, then why is the energy negative?
Energy is generally given relative to some arbitrary zero point. E.g. in Newtonian gravity, the zero point for a system of two masses is usually taken to be when the masses are "infinitely" far apart. In which case, the potential energy of the system is given by:$$U = -\frac{Gm_1m_2}{r}$$where ##r## is the distance between the masses. There is no physical significance of this being negative. You could equally take the potential energy to be:$$U = U_0 -\frac{Gm_1m_2}{r}$$for some constant ##U_0##. This would give a value of zero for some finite value of ##r = r_0## and the potential energy would be positive or negative, depending on the value of ##r##.

What's of physical significance is the change in potential energy between two configurations.

Lotto said:
And have all molecules or even atoms negative energies? So when a molecule have energy let's say -70 Ha and the other -75 Ha, does it mean that the second molecule has a lower energy?
Likewise, the electrostatic energy of an atom is generally taken to be relative to some zero point and is often negative. And, yes, ##-75 \ Ha## is less than ##-70 \ Ha##. You need to put ##+10 \ Ha## into the system to change it from the first energy level to the second energy level, in this case.
 
We often see discussions about what QM and QFT mean, but hardly anything on just how fundamental they are to much of physics. To rectify that, see the following; https://www.cambridge.org/engage/api-gateway/coe/assets/orp/resource/item/66a6a6005101a2ffa86cdd48/original/a-derivation-of-maxwell-s-equations-from-first-principles.pdf 'Somewhat magically, if one then applies local gauge invariance to the Dirac Lagrangian, a field appears, and from this field it is possible to derive Maxwell’s...