Harper Lin
Electrons are fundamental particles with no internal structure, unlike a golf ball, which has a definable centre and is composed of rubber. Electrons do not have an intrinsic size, but they do have a wavelength that depends on their momentum. If an electron were the size of a golf ball, it would need to be cooled down to have a wavelength of a centimetre or so. In a double-slit experiment, a golf ball-sized electron would form an interference pattern when passing through both slits simultaneously, but the golf ball would need to maintain its quantum coherence to do so.
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What You'll Learn
Electrons are ordered into shells
The outermost orbital shell of an atom is called the valence shell, which contains the electrons most likely to take part in bonding with other atoms. These valence electrons can determine the element's chemical properties and whether it may bond with other elements. An atom with a closed shell of valence electrons is chemically inert, whereas an atom with one or two valence electrons more than a closed shell is highly reactive.
Each shell consists of one or more subshells, and each subshell consists of one or more atomic orbitals. The first shell or K shell can have a maximum of two electrons in it, whereas the next subshells (p, d, f, g) can have four more electrons than the one preceding it.
Sometimes, electrons can become excited and leave their shell to go to another. However, these electrons will eventually return, but they cannot go back to their original shell without emitting energy in the form of radio waves.
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Each shell has a maximum capacity
Electrons are ordered into "shells", which are energy levels. Each shell has a maximum capacity, or the maximum number of electrons it can hold. The shells are filled from the inside out, but not always evenly. For example, the electron configuration of calcium (atomic number 20) is 2,8,8,2, with a total of 20 electrons. The first shell is filled to its maximum capacity of 2 electrons, the second and third shells are filled to their maximum capacity of 8 electrons, and the fourth shell has 2 electrons.
After calcium, the pattern becomes more complex. The electron configuration of vanadium (atomic number 23) is 2,8,11,2. Here, the third shell has a maximum capacity of 11 electrons, while the fourth shell can hold a maximum of 2 electrons. Similarly, chromium (atomic number 24) has an electron configuration of 2,8,13,1, with the third shell holding 13 electrons and the fourth shell holding 1 electron. Manganese (atomic number 25) follows a similar pattern, with an electron configuration of 2,8,13,2.
The number of electrons in each shell can be represented as an integer. For example, the electron configuration of molybdenum (atomic number 42) is 2,8,18,13,1. This can be represented as the integer 2 × 33^4 + 8 × 33^3 + 18 × 33^2 + 13 × 33 + 1 = 26,79,370.
It is important to note that electrons can become excited due to external factors such as heat, causing them to leave their shell and move to another. When returning to their original state, these electrons must release energy in the form of radio waves. This movement between shells and energy levels is a key concept in understanding electron behaviour.
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Electrons can leave their shell when excited
Electrons are arranged in shells around the nucleus of an atom. Each shell has a different energy level, and the number of electrons in each shell follows a predictable pattern. The closest shell to the nucleus can hold up to two electrons, the second shell can hold up to eight, the third up to eighteen, and so on. These shells are similar to the layers in the Earth's atmosphere, and electrons exist within these shells as both points and waves due to quantum mechanics.
Electrons can become "excited" and gain energy through various interactions, such as absorbing a photon or colliding with another atom or particle. When this happens, they can leave their shell and move to a higher energy level. For example, an electron in hydrogen at its base energy level of n=1 might become excited and move to n=4. However, on its return, the electron does not necessarily go directly back to its original shell; it has multiple options for returning to a lower energy state.
The process of an electron gaining and losing energy involves the absorption and emission of photons, which are small bundles of energy. As an electron gains energy, it might jump from the second to the third energy level shell. Then, as it loses energy by emitting photons, it may return to the second energy level or even drop to the first energy level shell. This movement between shells is a result of the quantized nature of electron energy, meaning it is restricted to specific energy levels rather than varying continuously.
When an excited electron relaxes and returns to its original shell, it emits a photon. The wavelength of this photon is element-specific and depends on how far the electron falls back toward the atom's nucleus. This emission of photons is an important concept in understanding the behaviour of electrons and their interactions with other particles. The specific patterns and behaviours of electrons in different elements continue to be areas of active research.
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Electrons have a wavelength
Electrons are ordered into "shells", with each shell having a maximum capacity for the number of electrons it can hold. The shells are filled from the inside out, but not always evenly. For example, the electron configuration for calcium (with an atomic number of 20) is 2,8,8,2.
In 1924, Louis de Broglie postulated that particles like electrons were also waves, and gave a formula for their wavelength. This formula, called the de Broglie relation, states that the wavelength of an electron depends on its momentum, which is given by its mass multiplied by its velocity. The wavelength of an electron can range from zero to infinity, and the faster an electron is moving, the shorter its wavelength.
The wavelength of an electron is about 1/10 of a nanometer, much shorter than the wavelength of visible light. This property of electrons has been used to develop electron microscopy, which allows for the imaging of individual objects at a far greater magnification than with light microscopy.
It is important to note that while electron beams have wave-like properties, they are not the same as light waves.
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A golf ball-sized electron would need to be cooled
Electrons are subatomic particles with a negative elementary electric charge. They are fundamental particles that, along with up and down quarks, comprise the ordinary matter that makes up the universe. Electrons are extremely lightweight and orbit the positively charged nucleus of atoms. Their negative charge is balanced by the positive charge of protons in the nucleus, giving atoms their overall neutral charge.
The number of electrons in an electrically neutral atom equals the number of protons. Electrons are bound to the nucleus to varying degrees, with the outermost or valence electrons being the least tightly bound. These electrons are responsible for the formation of chemical bonds between atoms to create molecules and crystals. Electrons also facilitate all types of chemical reactions by being transferred or shared between atoms.
While electrons do not have an intrinsic "size" in the same way that everyday objects like golf balls do, they do have a wavelength that depends on their momentum. If an electron were to be enlarged to the size of a golf ball, it would need to be cooled down significantly until it is moving slowly enough to have a wavelength of around a centimeter.
This concept is explored in the double-slit experiment, where single electrons are used to produce an interference pattern. By increasing the size of the electron to that of a golf ball, the two-slit experiment would scale up, and an interference pattern would form when the object passes through both slits simultaneously, regardless of the speed of the golf ball-sized electron.
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