B Unveiling the Mysteries of the Electron in an Atom: The Quantum Perspective

[efdee]

The quantum physicists claim, that an electron has been 'smeared out' in the space around the nucleus.
So it seems an electron in the atom is present everywhere at once.

Is the next interpretation acceptable?

The electron moves with many km/s in an extremely small space.
In photography it would give motion blur.
So the electron shows noting but motion blur.

 

[Orodruin]

No, this is not an acceptable interpretation.

 

[bhobba]

The quantum physicists claim, that an electron has been 'smeared out' in the space around the nucleus.
So it seems an electron in the atom is present everywhere at once.

You could get that view reading populist accounts - but its wrong.

Here is something explaining what QM REALLY is:
https://www.scottaaronson.com/democritus/lec9.html

That's what popularization's should explain - but don't. Instead they introduce all sorts of stuff that must be unlearned later like wave-particle duality and collapse.

Feynman's classic is still the best of the current lot IMHO:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QED:_The_Strange_Theory_of_Light_and_Matter

But, without going into details, even that at the very advanced level has some issues - Feynman isn't quite right when he says he will be giving you what doesn't need to be unlearned later - its nearly right in the sense you need to be very advanced to see it (it involves things like phonons and what not to describe the real interaction between light and matter) - but I will be telling a porky if I said its 100% correct.

Thanks
Bill