Electron in Atom

Most recent answer: 10/22/2007

Q:
how long does it take for an electron to circl a nucleus?
- Anonymous (age 7)
george elementary school, holland, PA
A:
It’s very strange, but in an atom an electron doesn’t have to actually circle the nucleus at all. It’s hard to describe the way the electron acts, but it’s something like sitting in a spread-out cloud around the nucleus.
Some electrons can form little clouds which do move around the nucleus. When that happens, they typically go around in about one million billionth of a second!

(published on 10/22/2007)