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Why does the uncertainty principle make it impossible to predict a trajectory for the electron?
Wiki User
∙ 9y ago
A wave does not have a discrete position, it has an area, a line defining its location maybe, but never a point. You can say that a wave has a focus point (a circular wave has a center) but such a point is not where any part of the wave is - where it was maybe - but not where it now is.
The fact that an electron is a wave (we may think of it as one in certain circumstances) ensures that it does not have a definite position.
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Wiki User
∙ 9y agoIt is impossible to predict because you cannot know both the position and velocity of the electron simultaneously.
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What law says it is impossible to determine the exact location and velocity of an electron at any given moment?
This is because of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. It is a part of quantum mechanics. It has to do with an electron having properties of both a particle and and wave. If you only imagine an electron to be a particle, this can be somewhat explained by the process of measuring the position or velocity of the electron. If the data is measured with light, then when a photon hits the electron, it changes the electrons speed and position. We may be able to find one, but in the process, the other will be changed.
How do you find the relative uncertainty in the mass of the electron?
The mass of the electron is 9,109 383 56(11)×10e-31 kg.The uncertainty is +/-11 for the last two decimals.
The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle states that it is impossible to know?
For every quantum state, the standard deviation of it's position multiplied by the standard deviation of it's momentum has to be larger than or equal to the reduced Planck constant divided by two. σxσp ≥ hbar/2 This doesn't mean that you can't measure position and momentum at the same time. What it means is that the products of their deviations from their expectation values can't go lower than hbar/2, ie. there is a limit to the combined precision of the two measurements. It can also be shown that the combined precision of several other quantities have a lower limit, such as energy and time.
What does it mean when an electron behaves in ways that are at least partially indeterminate?
When an electron behaves in ways that are at least partially indeterminate, it means that under identical conditions, the electron does not have the same trajectory and does not "land" in the same spot each time.
Is the position and velocity of an electron in an atom be determined with great certainty?
Not exactly. Electrons orbit the nucleus in an atom. An atom is a fundamental piece of matter. (Matter is anything that can be touched physically.) Everything in the universe (except energy) is made of matter, and, so, everything in the universe is made of atoms. An atom itself is made up of three tiny kinds of particles called subatomic particles: protons, neutrons, and electrons. The protons and the neutrons make up the center of the atom called the nucleus and the electrons fly around above the nucleus in a small cloud. The electrons carry a negative charge and the protons carry a positive charge. In a normal (neutral) atom the number of protons and the number of electrons are equal. Often, but not always, the number of neutrons is the same, too.
Who develped a principle that says it is impossible to know both location and mass of an electron at the same time?
Werner Heisenberg developed this principle, known as the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle.
An uncertainty theory used with the modern electron cloud model of the atom that says it is impossible to determine an electron's exact position and speed as it moves around?
Werner Heisenberg proposed in 1927 the uncertainty principle.
Proof of Heisenberg's uncertainty principle?
Electron diffraction.
What is wave length error?
it can be illustrated by the Heisenberg's uncertainty principle,that says that,it's almost impossible to determine the exact velocity & position of a moving electron.
Using heisenberg's uncertainity principle prove the non existence of the electron inside the nucleus?
The Heseinberg's Uncertainty Principle states that you cannot know the position and momentum of a particle simultaneously. More rigorously stated, the product of the uncertainty of the position of a particle (Δx) and the uncertainty of its momentum (Δp) must be greater than a specified value: ∆x∆p ≥ (h/4π) Now, as the electron approaches the nucleus, it's uncertainty in position decreases (if the electron is 10nm away from the nucleus, it could be anywhere within a spherical shell of radius 10nm, but if the electron is only 0.1nm away from the nucleus, that area is greatly reduced). According to the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, if you decrease the uncertainty of the electrons position, the uncertainty in its momentum must increase. This increased momentum uncertainty means that the electron will be moving away from the nucleus faster, on average. Put another way, if we do know that at one instant, that the electron is right on top of the nucleus, we lose all information about where the electron will be at the next instant. It could stay at the nucleus, it could be slightly to the left or to the right, or it could very likely be very far away from the nucleus. Therefore, because of the uncertainty principle it is impossible for the electron to fall into the nucleus and stay in the nucleus. In essence, the uncertainty principle causes a sort of quantum repulsion that keeps electrons from being too tightly localized near the nucleus.
What does the Heisensberg uncertainty principal state?
The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle states that it is impossible to know both the position and momentum of an electron within at atom's electron cloud. As soon as you determine one property, the other is rendered invalid by your means of measurement.
What things represent the word uncertainty?
The uncertainty principle is a theory that the more you know about the speed of an electron, the less you know about its position and vica versa
What are applications of uncertainty principle?
Uncertainty Principle can be used to give a drawback to Bohr's Model of an atom. In that atomic model Bohr said that electrons exist in certain well defined energy levels, to give a contradiction to this statement uncertainty principle may be used.
Why can we not accurately predict where in the electron cloud electrons can be found?
We cannot accurately predict where in the electron cloud electrons can be found because of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. This principle states that it is impossible to simultaneously know the exact position and momentum of an electron. As a result, we can only describe the probability distribution or the likelihood of finding an electron in a particular region of the electron cloud.
What scientist said you cannot predict exactly where an electron is or what path it will take?
The uncertainty principle was developed by Werner Karl Heisenberg.
Why is it impossible to know precisely the velocityand position of an electron at the same time?
Briefly, this should be considered a fundamental restriction of nature. In the subatomic world, some things simply work differently to what we are accustomed. For more information, do some reading on the "Uncertainty principle", or "Heisenberg Uncertainty", for example here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncertainty_principle
Where could a electron be found?
In an electron cloud, which a probability range circling around the atom. Due to the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, both an electron's location and speed can not be known at the same time. Therefore, a range is created.
