Paul Lexi McHughe
Last Activity: 6 Years ago
According to Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle,
where delta x is uncertainty in position, delta p is uncertainty in momentum and h bar is reduced planck’s constant. this means that there is a mimimum uncertainty for either the position or momentum.
If we examine the uncertainty in the position,
if uncertainty in momentum goes to zero, that is, the electron goes to rest, then the uncertainty in the position goes to infinity.
If we examine the uncertainty in momentum and if the uncertainty in position goes to zero, that is, the elctron collapses into the nucleus, the uncertainty in momentum goes to infinity.
Since atoms have a finite size, the mere uncertainty will prevent the atoms from collapsing in on themselves. This is what keeps the electrons in motion around the nucleus.