What is the Pauli exclusion principle?

[supernovae]

hi

i just wanted to ask if anyone could help me understand this principle i have read around and still seem to be getting nowhere.
i found this example but its confusing and does not give explanations http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/pauli.html#c1

thanks

 

[tiny-tim]

Hi supernovae!

erm … if the books can't help, why would we be any better?

Perhaps if you quote some specific sentence you don't understand, we could have a go at explaining that?

 

[cmos]

The link you gave is a bit advanced for somebody being exposed to the Pauli principle for the very first time. In a nutshell: No two particles can have the same exact quantum state at the same exact time.

What's a quantum state you might say? If you're drawing Lewis dot diagrams, think of it like no two electrons can be in the exact place at the same exact time.

 

[DopplerDog]

The link you gave is a bit advanced for somebody being exposed to the Pauli principle for the very first time. In a nutshell: No two particles can have the same exact quantum state at the same exact time.

What's a quantum state you might say? If you're drawing Lewis dot diagrams, think of it like no two electrons can be in the exact place at the same exact time.

There should be a qualification here that this rule only applies to Fermions, i.e. particles with spin 1/2, 3/2, etc. Particles with spin 0, 1, etc are Bosons, and do not obey Pauli's exclusion principle.

As an example, protons and neutrons are Fermions, photos are Bosons.