Width of one electron shell of a hydrogen atom

In summary, the conversation discusses the topic of quantum mechanics and coding a game related to it. The person asking the question is in need of the width of one electron shell of a hydrogen atom, but it is mentioned that in quantum mechanics, there is no definite orbital size. The conversation also touches on the method of solving for the radial part of the wavefunction and using the Bohr radius to find the size of the atom.
  • #1
devan
2
1
I'm quite new to quantum mechanics. I have a question, I'm coding a small game with my friends and I do understand the orbitals and I've even written a function in java to simulate the probabilities of ONE of those diagrams, but I do not know my scale just yet, can anyone tell me the width of one electron shell of a hydrogen atom. The sim is in 2 dimensions for now, at least until I get around to making it 3d :(

remember, I'm asking for the width of ONE possible shell. preferably one that has a good distinction between the 2 shells.
 
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  • #2
Tell us about how the game works. Is it real time? Do you calculate forces between frames?
 
  • #3
Yes, first the regular momentum of the particle is applied THEN all the particles interact, this is to save on those oh so beautiful threads. Also this is better because, if I interacted first then particles could never "jump" through stuff like electrons do.
I just got to the part where this is pretty important for me to know.
Frame-rates don't seem to be something that I'll get a lot of.
Its between frames because real-time would be destruction to your computer.
 
  • #4
devan said:
remember, I'm asking for the width of ONE possible shell. preferably one that has a good distinction between the 2 shells.
What shells are you talking about?

Orbitals are basically probability distributions, so it doesn't make sense to talk about a definite value of its size. You can have classical analogies, like the Bohr orbit, but quantum mechanically, there is no definite orbital size.
 
  • #5
devan said:
I'm quite new to quantum mechanics. I have a question, I'm coding a small game with my friends and I do understand the orbitals and I've even written a function in java to simulate the probabilities of ONE of those diagrams, but I do not know my scale just yet, can anyone tell me the width of one electron shell of a hydrogen atom. The sim is in 2 dimensions for now, at least until I get around to making it 3d :(

remember, I'm asking for the width of ONE possible shell. preferably one that has a good distinction between the 2 shells.

devan said:
Yes, first the regular momentum of the particle is applied THEN all the particles interact, this is to save on those oh so beautiful threads. Also this is better because, if I interacted first then particles could never "jump" through stuff like electrons do.
I just got to the part where this is pretty important for me to know.
Frame-rates don't seem to be something that I'll get a lot of.
Its between frames because real-time would be destruction to your computer.

I don't get it either.

What does it mean that you have "written a function in java to simulate the probabilities of ONE of those diagrams"? Did you solve the radial part of the wavefunction for a hydrogen atom, i.e. Rnl?

Most of us who did this in a QM course usually solved the radial part in terms of the Bohr radius, i.e, r/a0, where r is the radial coordinate and a0 is the Bohr radius. This is a number that you can look up. It also means that you can find an average value of the radius, and that, will give you the size of the H-atom, which I take it to be what you are asking for when you asked for the "width of one possible shell". For the H-atom, isn't the "width" of the 1s orbital the size of the atom itself?

Zz.
 

1. What is the width of one electron shell of a hydrogen atom?

The width of one electron shell of a hydrogen atom is approximately 0.053 nanometers. This value is known as the Bohr radius and is a fundamental constant in atomic physics.

2. How is the width of an electron shell determined?

The width of an electron shell is determined by the energy level of the electron within the atom. Each energy level corresponds to a specific distance from the nucleus, with higher energy levels being farther away and therefore having a larger width.

3. Does the width of an electron shell change?

The width of an electron shell does not change as long as the electron remains in the same energy level. However, when an electron absorbs or emits energy, it can move to a higher or lower energy level, resulting in a change in the width of its electron shell.

4. How does the width of a hydrogen atom's electron shell compare to other elements?

The width of a hydrogen atom's electron shell is the smallest among all elements. This is due to the fact that hydrogen has only one electron and therefore only one energy level. Other elements have more electrons and therefore more energy levels, resulting in wider electron shells.

5. Why is the width of an electron shell important?

The width of an electron shell is important because it determines the size of an atom. The overall size of an atom is determined by the combined widths of all its electron shells. Furthermore, the width of an electron shell also affects the chemical and physical properties of an atom, as it determines the distance between the nucleus and the outermost electrons, which are involved in bonding and interactions with other atoms.

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