electron spin?

Question

I was taught that there are equal number of electrons that spin clockwise as counterclockwise.This dosen't make sense.If you have one electron that spins CW next to one that spins CCW,all you would have to do is turn one upsidedown and they would both spin in the same direction.What do you think?

Answer 1

Just to add a bit to the other (good) responses, the term spin is an historical relic. The discoverers thought the electron was spinning, hence the name of spin for this property of electrons.

You may read their 1925 paper at:

http://dbhs.wvusd.k12.ca.us/webdocs/Chem-History/Uhlenbeck-Goudsmit-spin.html

On a spin-related topic (although not electron spin), you may wish to investigate the nuclear spin status of the two hydrogens in ortho- and para-hydrogen (the molecule H2).

Best wishes in your continued study of spin (and possibly QM in general).

Answer 2

the so-called spin is a matter of speech. it is said, that the magnetic momentum of an electron would be such, as IF it were spinning.
otherwise said it is just another quantum number, used to describe the electron energy, which can assume only two values (+1/2 and -1/2). an this "upside down" turning of electrons is indeed possible, although you would be surprised how much energy is needed for that.
and last, but not least, the thing about the equal number is not true. take carbon for example. it has a 1s2, 2s2, 2p2 configuration, and both electrons on the two p-AO are with the same spin.

Answer 3

Electron spin is more complex than just spinning electrons. We don't know what an electron looks like. Is it a ball? A string? A fuzzy puff of energy? Also electrons are waves. How can a wave spin? We are trying in understanding electron spin in a way to bring the concept to something we understand. One electron "spins" one way and another "spins" another way. We use spin because of the magnetic field generated and magnetic field are generated when charge move such as spinning. So we say an electron spins.

Answer 4

This so called 'spin' is very different from our common understanding, which is the spin of a top. In my knowledge, the fact that whether an electron actually spins is still unknown. I think that from mathematical reasoning, scientists have proved that electrons have to spins differently in order for the atoms to exist and be stable.

Answer 5

"Spin" is a convenient term to differentiate between electrons when they tend to exclude too many electrons as in orbiting an atom in various shells of the atom. Electrons are too small to actual 'see' them spin (like tops) because the photons sent to see them would be absorbed by the electrons making them more energetic at higher (temporary) orbits. It makes a little more sense to consider the electrons as tiny waves of matter and energy. Since two objects can not occupy the same space at the same time, they tend to exclude each other. I could think of an electron as similar to a car rushing along sheer ice AND spinning at the same time too. Spin allows me to keep track (separately) of two different properties of an electron. That does not necessarily translate into the macro-world of spinning tops.

Answer 6

When atoms have even numbers of electrons the spin of each electron in each orbital has opposing orientation in different directions. However, many atoms have an odd number of electrons or an arrangement of electrons in which the number of "spin-up" and "spin-down" orientations are not the same. These atoms or electrons are said to have unpaired spins which are detected in electron spin resonance.

Answer 7

Electrons are not particles, they are waves also. The spin is only a measure of one of their properties.

Answer 8

What you say could be true.
What keeps them from smashing into one another?
The fact that they are all negative?