Cloud Analogies
Most recent answer: 08/15/2008
Q:
I read your answer on "why don't electrons fall into the nucleus?" which was very enlightening. You described it as a cloud and the electron could never be pinpointed. Would you say it is very similar to a literal thundercloud holding electricity?
- Charles (age 24)
Brooklyn, New York, USA
- Charles (age 24)
Brooklyn, New York, USA
A:
That's a very nice thought, but it turns out not to be a good analogy. The charge in the thundercloud stays spread out because like charges repel. The electron cloud stays out for quantum mechanical reasons. The distinction is not just a matter of names. If you squash all the dimensions of the thundercloud down by a factor of 2, its electrostatic energy goes up by a factor of 2. If you squash an electron cloud's dimensions by a factor of 2, its quantum kinetic energy goes up by a factor of 4.
Mike W.
Mike W.
(published on 08/15/2008)