An atom and a solar system are similar, thus a galaxy is like a molecule, can earth be just an electron in some greater collection of matter beyond our understanding?
2006-07-22 09:41:14 · 17 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
I wonder about that all the time. We are just electrons making up something so big, bigger than galaxies and universes that we'll never know. . . but then again I'm a dreamer :-P
2006-07-22 09:45:05 · answer #1 · answered by X 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It is fairly easy, with just high school level physics, to show that since the electrons are attracted to the protrons in the nucleus by electromagnetic forces instead of gravity, that if electrons moved around the nucleus like planets around the sun that the electron orbits would rapidly decay and the electron would fall into the nucleus.
In other words because electromagetic and gravitational forces work entirely differently with very different laws that the structures of atoms and planetary systems are also quite different.
So, NO, our solar system is definitely not some huge atom. And galaxies are not molecules, which are also held together by electromagnetic forces, while galexies are held together by gravity.
By the way, this is a thought that most people come up with when they first start learning about atoms and what its form is. So that indicates that you are on a fairly typical line of rational thought. The thing you are missing is learning to express the forces involved in their mathematical formulas, which are not all that difficult. Then you would easily see that the atomic and planetary models couldn't possibly be the same.
2006-07-23 00:14:34 · answer #2 · answered by Alan Turing 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are similarities in the basic model of the atom and the basic model of the solar system/galaxies -- electrons "goes around" the atomic nucleus and planets and asteroids goes around the sun. But the types of forces are different. And very strange thing occur at the atomic level. Strange things also occur in the cosmic level. They are all similar but different.
Others like yourself think or study these similarities and differences. By "smashing" atoms, we can study the nature of our universe. Another way of doing this is by looking out into space, back in time when our universe was young. (Astronomy is a time machine. The universe is about 14 billion years old. So if you look at a galaxy that is 14 billion light-years away, you are looking at light that has taken 14 billion years to reach us -- i.e., the beginning of time).
2006-07-22 17:44:30 · answer #3 · answered by Kitiany 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
An atom is not like the universe exactly. Orbitals are not orbits. And if the stars are necleus, why don't they all be together. SOrry, but I haven't seen a "multi-necleus" atom before! As far as I know, the attraction in an atom is by positive & negative charges attracting. Attraction in space is by other force (gravity). And you may find an answer better than mine that lets you change opinion!!!
2006-07-22 19:41:07 · answer #4 · answered by Palestini Detective 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I very much doubt since different physical principals govern the solar system when comparing those with the atom. Quantum physics deals with atoms and the spin of electrons where as astro physics deals with the planets and orbits. In quantum physics gravity is not considered and in astro physics it is.
2006-07-22 16:47:09 · answer #5 · answered by chris b 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When you take an atom to pieces, it's just little packets of energy, nothing solid at all. The world is full of these little packets flying around the place. Every now and then we find a way of detecting new particles. One day, we will discover that we are wading through a soup of particles that we didn't know existed.
2006-07-24 16:33:11 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Atoms & solar system aren't similar at all.
Electrons are not like planets orbiting around a star, but more like confined electronic fogs (according to orbitals theory).
Anyway, your perspective is interesting and open-minding :-)
2006-07-22 17:32:42 · answer #7 · answered by Axel ∇ 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, the old hermetic saying, "As above, so below" recognises that everything is a reduced or expanded reflection of everything else. So most certainly everything is a part of a greater whole, like a red blood cell is part of a greater whole.
2006-07-23 19:25:36 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. Atoms aren't like that. As I was saying to a girl, most of the stuff they teach you in school is pure cr*p.
2006-07-22 16:51:28 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
no, atoms are part of us, everything is made up of atoms so nothing can be a single atom in itself, except for an atom.
2006-07-22 17:30:46 · answer #10 · answered by fae 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋