exact, whole number amount of energy needed to move an electron to a higher energy level
A quantum of energy can be thought of as a little packet of energy. It is NOT the amount of energy it takes for a electron to get from one energy level to the next.
The quantum theory developed at the beginning of the last century tells us that energy changes in atoms happens when these little packets of energy are taken in or given out.
The value of the quantum of energy (in this case, a photon) can be calculated using the equation E = hf where E is the energy in joules, h is Planck's constant, and f is the frequency in hertz
In Planck's assumption, radiant energy is emitted in small bursts, known as "quanta". Each of the bursts called a "quantum" has energy E that depends on the frequency f of the electromagnetic radiation by the equation: E=h*f (h=plank's constant)
The value of the quantum of energy depends on the particulars of the quantum system being modeled. A quantum of energy is a quantity of energy which a quantum system will accept. The energy of a photon can be any value on the continuum, but quantum mechanics predicts that an electron will only absorb certain specific amounts of energy that depend on the electronic forces the electron is exposed to.
Energy, along with matter, space, and time, comes in the form of very small units or packages, called quanta; that is the basic discovery of what is known as quantum mechanics. That is the observed structure of the universe. We may never know exactly why the universe has this structure.
A quantum of energy is a specific amount of energy given off when an excited electron drops an energy level.
It's what we call a "photon". Its energy is the product of its frequency and
Planck's Konstant. No smaller bundle of energy can exist at that frequency.
Richard Feynman stated once that "if you think you understand quantum mechanics then you don't understand quantum mechanics". However it is possible to learn how to write and solve the equations of quantum mechanics to get answers that can be verified experimentally.
The mixed state in quantum mechanics is the statistical ensemble of the pure states.
Classical Mechanics and Wave Theory.
AnswerZero-point energy (not to be confused with Vacuum Energy) is the lowest possible energy that a quantum mechanical physical system may have and is the energy of the ground state. This energy comes from the fact that after you remove all thermal and kinetic energy from an atom there is still quantum mechanical harmonic vibration that arises due to the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. This energy, so far, can not be taken away from a system.
There is no reasonable alternative to quantum mechanics, at least not something that can even compare with the predictive power and experimental accuracy as quantum theory. If you want to make predictions about things happening at small scales you cannot do without quantum mechanics. Also note that certain models which are now considered as possible theories of everything (e.g. string theory) all expand upon quantum mechanics, they do not make quantum mechanics invalid or unnecessary.
Quantum Mechanics is a branch of physics describing the behavior of energy and matter at the atomic and subatomic scales. It explains it itself and Quantum Physics is the same deal. They're just two different ways in saying it.
Principles of Quantum Mechanics was created in 1930.
quantum mechanics
Richard Feynman stated once that "if you think you understand quantum mechanics then you don't understand quantum mechanics". However it is possible to learn how to write and solve the equations of quantum mechanics to get answers that can be verified experimentally.
The distinction is sometimes made to distinguish normal quantum mechanics (which does not incorporate special relativity) and quantum field theory (relativistic quantum mechanics). Since we know special relativity is correct it is the relativistic form of quantum mechanics which is true, but non-relativistic quantum mechanics is still used, because it is a good approximation at low energies and it is much simpler. Physics students typically study regular quantum mechanics before moving on to quantum field theory.
The concepts of quantum mechanics were not explored until the 20th century. Newton only lived into the 18th century, so Newton did no work on quantum mechanics.
The mixed state in quantum mechanics is the statistical ensemble of the pure states.
Quantum Mechanics "replaced" Classical Mechanics in particle physics in mid-1930s.
The simple answer is to release excess energy and thus become more stable.The full answer requires some understanding of Quantum Mechanics, as it is a quantum process and even though an atom has excess energy to release its current state may be one that Quantum Mechanics prohibits (or encourages) certain changes from occurring.
It is also called wave mechanics because quantum mechanics governed by Schrodinger's wave equation in it's wave-formulation.
Classical Mechanics and Wave Theory.
Quantum mechanics is a separate branch of physics. It is a general term given to all quantum physics. There are many subbranches, for example Quantum chronodynamics which describes the strong nuclear interaction.