2007-07-07 15:43:39 · 9 answers · asked by evanescent_eclipse 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
An electron has a radius of zero only in quantum physics.
In classical physics, the radius is 2.8179 X 10^-15 meters.
This is roughly the size the electron would need to have for its mass to be completely due to its electrostatic potential energy - not taking quantum mechanics into account.
But the classical electron radius is used in modern theories involving the electron, and is roughly the length scale at which renormalization becomes important in quantum dynamics.
Since quantum particles are not something we can readily understand (they don't fit into our Euclidean concept of space and size), its hard to grasp that a particle can exist without size but can have energy and mass.
Its one of those things that might mean reading a lot on quantum physics to get it.
2007-07-07 15:55:12 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
An electron still does have mass and volume; it's just so insignificant it can't be substantially quantified (yet). The smallest known unit of matter is the elementary particle (an electron is a type of elementary particle) so if you're talking half the diameter of the smallest known unit of matter, I guess you would say zero too!
To get a picture of an electron's size:
A sheet of paper is about 500,000 atoms thick...
and an electron is around one ten-thousandth
the size of an atom!
2007-07-07 16:06:54 · answer #2 · answered by Ammy 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The electron does not have a radius of zero.
It's radius is approximately 2.8179 × 10^-15 meters, which is pretty small.
2007-07-07 15:49:13 · answer #3 · answered by triplea 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
It's sort of like magic. It's one of those things that you just have to believe; the experimental data always comes up with zero for the size of the electron. This is no fun for the mathematical physicists, who see their field calculations go blooey with infinities arising from the zero size.
2007-07-07 15:48:39 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
Its a wave and a probability field area, it's size and range can be approximated by the Schrodinger Equation.
2007-07-07 15:45:55 · answer #5 · answered by Steve C 7 · 1⤊ 3⤋
It's not absolute zero, it's zero point something something something....
2007-07-07 15:52:20 · answer #6 · answered by akaichan15 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
think of it like "all your base are belong to us" but with chickens dancing around a campfire.
2007-07-07 15:50:46 · answer #7 · answered by rofl_kewl_tommy 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Think of it like the "Base"
It is __currently__ the smallest unit of matter
<(0.0)>
2007-07-07 15:45:44 · answer #8 · answered by Constant 3 · 1⤊ 3⤋
it has a radius. its just too small to be detected.
2007-07-07 15:46:23 · answer #9 · answered by Anon omus 5 · 1⤊ 3⤋