What is the difference between an atom and an ion? Ion has net electric charge. So it shows electric property. It acts like a small charged ball. What about an atom? Does it behave as a neutral object?
Atom has equal number of protons and electrons bind together in the space. For this it is said to be electrically neutral. But electric field is a vector quantity, so equal number of positive and negetive charges doesn't essentially cancel out the effect of each other.
Let's take hydrogen atom for example. It has an electron that is orbiting around a proton. At any instance of time, there is a point between this two charged particle that is neutral (according to couloumb's law). But as a whole this system will have net electric property. So a hydrogen atom should behave like a charged object rather than being neutral.
Actually the nature of electric force (static) is such that charges distributed in space (like or unlike), always creates an electric field.
2006-12-27 22:50:19 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
From a distance, the charges are effectively very close to each other so that the small imbalance will be negligible.
You've used a simple model of an electron as a point charge orbiting. From outside the atom, the average position would be at the centre so the average over time is neutral.
But the electron is represented by it's wave function, so you cannot specify where it is, just where it is likely to be. Typical wave functions are such that again, the average over time will be neutral. You can't define the exact configuration at any instant.
2006-12-27 22:59:43 · answer #1 · answered by Andy D 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
All electric fields starting from the positive nucleus of the atom ends in the equal negative charge of electrons, which are inside the atom.
Therefore , there is no electric field out side the atom.
When two atoms are adjacent to one another, there is no electro static attraction.
Hence they are neutral.
Within the atom, of course, the behavior of atom is based on the electric properties of electrons and protons.
2006-12-27 23:26:58 · answer #2 · answered by Pearlsawme 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
ok... an ion is an electrically charged atomm... well Ions are atoms but not all atoms are ions...
as u said, electric field is an vector quantity... but u know that too... equal no. of positive + equal no. of negative is zero... so this is the concept on which it is said that an atom is electrically neutral... coz while adding the vectors... it is necessary to see their signs... i.e. positive or negative...
2006-12-27 23:01:50 · answer #3 · answered by Demolisher 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hello =)
You have the right idea...
An atom, in its purest sense has no charge......but an Ion does...
HOWEVER.....one can truthfully say that all Ions are atoms (or free radicals), BUT
it is NOT TRUE that all atoms are Ions....
Namaste, and Happy New Year,
--Tom
2006-12-27 22:54:19 · answer #4 · answered by glassnegman 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
what the ****?
2006-12-27 22:52:26 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋