Tell me more ×
Physics Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for active researchers, academics and students of physics. It's 100% free, no registration required.

What is the height of the electron orbits an atom? (How far are the energy levels of the electron relative to the center of the atomic nucleus?) How fast do electrons move in their orbits?

share|improve this question
4  
I'm afraid that the whole question is predicated on a misunderstanding (albeit one that many popular sources rather encourage). Electrons don't "orbit" in the sense that planets orbits the sun; they occupy "orbitals" which is a very different, and fundamentally quantum mechanical thing. Your questions do have reasonable analogues in this view ("What is the RMS radial position?" is a reasonable way to answer the height question, and so on), but the answer won't mean quite what you expect them to mean. It might help if you told us what your level of preparation is. – dmckee Feb 14 at 17:18
1  
The second part is fully answered in How fast do electrons travel in an atomic orbital? – dmckee Feb 14 at 17:20
1  
Two related questions that don't answer the height query but might help understand the distinction I made in my first comment: Why do electrons occupy the space around nuclei, and not collide with them? and Why don't electrons crash into the nuclei they “orbit”?. – dmckee Feb 14 at 18:20
Is it confirmed by experiment or just a calculated theoretically? Can you describe this experiment? (about orbitals) – Robotex Feb 15 at 12:48

Know someone who can answer? Share a link to this question via email, Google+, Twitter, or Facebook.

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.