- #1
avito009
- 184
- 4
Is it because the electron has less mass and is a point object that prevents it from falling into the nucleus due to attraction of protons?
You need to stop using the word "fell", even within quotes. What you are describing is only a semiclassical and popular interpretation of quantum physics. The point is that if the electron was localised to the nucleus, it would be in a superposition of states which includes several non-bound states as well as some bound states which are bound but not the ground state. The time evolution of the wave function would quickly result in the electron most likely being somewhere else.avito009 said:Now, with this knowledge we can determine what happens if an electron actually "fell" into the nucleus. The position would be well known (it's in the nucleus), but that means it could be moving really fast, so it breaks free from the nucleus again. This means it can't actually fall in.
This is also a popular misconception. Particles in quantum physics are not waves, nor are they tiny balls (i.e., classical particles). They have some properties reminiscent of these objects, but they really are quantum particles. The non-localisability of a quantum particle follows directly from the commutation relation between the position and momentum operators.avito009 said:Why we can't know where something is at the same time as we know where it's going due to it being a wave. How does being a wave effect this?
Vanadium 50 said:Before going into the millionth near-identical copy of this thread, may I point out that this is the https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/why-dont-electrons-crash-into-the-nucleus-in-atoms.511179/ in the https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/physics-faq-list.807553/ .
It is possible for an electron to have an orbital with orbital angular momentum, but there are also orbitals without orbital angular momentum, called s orbitals. Since there are some orbitals without angular momentum, angular momentum is not the thing which prevents the electron from being confined to the nucleus.avito009 said:Does the electron also have some initial momentum?
The electron does not fall into the nucleus because of the natural repulsive force between negatively charged particles. The electron is constantly moving around the nucleus in a specific energy level, and the balance between its kinetic energy and the attractive force of the nucleus keeps it from falling in.
The electric force is the fundamental force responsible for keeping the electron from falling into the nucleus. This force is created by the attraction between the positively charged protons in the nucleus and the negatively charged electron. It is this force that balances the gravitational pull of the nucleus and keeps the electron in orbit.
No, an electron cannot fall into the nucleus. According to the laws of quantum mechanics, electrons can only exist in specific energy levels around the nucleus. This means that even if the electron loses energy, it will simply move to a lower energy level instead of falling into the nucleus.
The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle states that it is impossible to know both the exact position and momentum of a particle at the same time. This principle applies to electrons as well, meaning we cannot determine their exact position within an atom. Therefore, we cannot predict or observe an electron falling into the nucleus.
The fact that electrons do not fall into the nucleus is crucial for the stability and functioning of atoms. If electrons were able to fall into the nucleus, atoms would collapse, and the entire structure of matter would be vastly different. The stability of electrons in orbit allows for the formation of chemical bonds and the diversity of elements in the periodic table.