Why do electrons move in circular orbit?

Answer 1

Electrons have a negative charge, so they are repelled by the positive charge of the protons in the nucleus.

They don't all move in circular orbits, however. Electrons orbit the nucleus in shells; within each shell, only the one or two electrons in the 's' subshell actually orbit the nucleus in approximately a circular fashion. The rest of the electrons in that shell orbit in a more complex motion, dictated by the laws of quantum mechanics.

As a chemist who earned my Ph.D. in physical chemistry, I couldn't help but correct the original answer.

Firstly, the answer to your question is that electrons do not move in circular orbits around an atom's nucleus. Please read on for further explaination.

Secondly, electrons and protons stongly attractone another; they do not repel one another. The Electrostatic Force is extremely powerful. It is the second strongest of the four forces in nature. Only the Nuclear Strong Force is more powerful.

Finally, quantum mechanics does not provide a mathematical model of the motion of any electron about an atom's nucleus. Rather, it dictates where a specific electron associated with a particular element's nucleus is allowed to exist and the probability of that electron being in any defined volume of space at any instant. The shapes of the different electron "orbitals" seen in textbooks typically depict the volume of space where an electron in any given orbital is present 95% of the time. An orbital could be drawn to show where an electron in that orbital is found 99% of the time, or an orbital may depict the location of an electron in three dimensions 3% of the time, and so on. The value of 95% is usually used because the orbitals are neither too large nor too small when that value is used for the lighter elements.

Answer 2

Actually, electrons are all based on probability. There is no set track for an electron, and likewise, its momentum on that track cannot be determined. There are functions that can locate electron probability, but only probability. Electron movement has sophisticated factors governing their movement, things like electron-electron repulsion or electron-nucleus attraction. It's more correct to say that an electron moves in an orbital, which is an area that will most likely have an electron. An orbital is the solution to the electron probability equation.

Answer 3

Electrons move in circular orbits around the nucleus of an atom due to the electromagnetic force of attraction between the positively charged nucleus and negatively charged electrons. This force balances the centripetal force keeping the electrons in orbit. The circular motion helps the electrons maintain stability and prevents them from spiraling into the nucleus.