Why dont protons in the nucleus of an atom attract the electrons?

Question

If unlike charges attract each other, how come theres a gap between the protons and electrons of an atom?

Answer 1

Actually, in nucleus of atom protons & neutrons both remain present (together) in the form of 'neucleons'. Nuclear force, which is the strongest force in the universe acts between those nucleons.Its main job is to hold together the the subatomic particles of the nucleus (protons, which carry a positive charge, and neutrons, which carry no charge). This force acts within short range of distance. This force is so strong that it doesn't allow the attraction between oppositely charged protons & electrons in atom.Thus nuclear force not only helps to bind like-charged protons, but also helps to maintain a gap between nucleus & electrons (those r present in shells) in atoms.

Answer 2

profound thought. have you ever heard of quantum mechanics or wave-particle duality? the latter means that everything is really a wave and a particle at the same time. (i am not sure how familiar you are with the jargon, so i'll try to keep it simple, but don't hesitate to ask for clarification.) take light, for example. we know light is a wave because we can send it through a slit and get a diffraction pattern. we also know there are photons (particles of light) from einstein's photoelectric effect theory (which is testable and confirmable in the lab). so this applies to electrons as well. they are particles that we can "count," if you will, but they also have a wavelength (which is linked to its momentum: more momentum, smaller wavelength). now comes in quantum mechanics: everything is quantized, i.e. there is no continuum, only little steps. this is like stairs as opposed to a smooth incline. (clearly if you make the stairs very small, then it looks like a smooth incline; this is just what the macroscopic world is like--you only see quantum effects when you look at real small things, like electrons in atoms). so electrons have a wavelength, and that wavelength is quantized when the electron is bound to a nucleus. (you can visualize this by thinking about an electron going around an atom in a circle with a wave superimposed; the wave must be closed or the electron is not stable--so only at certain states is the electron stable (i.e. the wave is completed).i think that takes care of why an electron sitting in an atom doesn't careen into the protons in the nucleus. now, you can send an electron flying at a nucleus. it might release a photon and find itself in a stable orbit, or it might collide with a proton, which is called 'electron capture.' in that case the proton+electron becomes a neutron and an lectron neutrino (because you have to conserve various things like momentum, baryon number, and lepton number, but you get the idea).

Answer 3

Great question, in simple terms your are thinking in classic physics, the answer lays in quantum physics. That is college level, normally upper division.

In short, the electron loses energy the closer to the nucleus it gets. Also it isn't a gap, it is a huge gap, think of a football field, a single piece of rice would be the nucleus at the 50 yard line, the electrons would be orbiting in the stands. 99.8% of the mass is in the nucleus, the .2% is the eletrons. So an atom is mostly nothing.

Answer 4

to answer this question first imagine this situation take a stone tie its one ene with a string and eave its one endfree now take the free end and start spinning it over your head you will notice that the stone is not falling towards you it is held away from you by a force called centrifugal force it is this force only in the atom that sperates the proton from electrons

Answer 5

centrifigal force and inertia make the electron want to break away from its orbit but the opposite charges cancel those forces out. Just like why the sun's gravitational force doesn't pull the earth straight into it.

Answer 6

Because the protons don't put out (sorry, couldn't resist)

Answer 7

That is part of the answer; the proportionally large gap.

Answer 8

Great question, the answer will be found in quantum chemistry text book.

Answer 9

because one is negative and the other is positive