When an electron moves with a certain de Broglie wavelength, does the electron shake back and forth or up and down at that wavelength?
2007-11-25 19:06:48 · 4 answers · asked by Nomad 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
No. The electron isn't shaking. (Aside perhaps from a phenomenon called zitterbewegung, which is something different and requires you to understand quantum field theory). What is "waving" is the probability density function--the places where the electron is likely to be follow a wavy pattern.
2007-11-25 19:42:13 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
No. You see, the electron has wave-particle duality. It travels like a wave, and acts like a wave in many other ways, but it interacts with matter like a particle, and, like a particle, it has mass.
We draw squigly lines to show waves and most people think the object is actually moving up and down. In the case of waves propegating through a medium such as water or a rope, we see this happening, but the medium moves up and down because the amplitude of the wave varies sinusoidally.
The up down movement is the effect of the wave on the medium.
Electrons don't actually move up and down, rather, the wave represents the energy of the electron and where it can exist. In areas where the wave amplitude peaks, the electron is most likely to exist. In areas where the wave amplitude is 0, the electron is least likely to exist.
If you have ever wondered why some volume knobs are marked "amplitude" instead it's because you are actually increasing the amplitude of the wave when you turn the volume up.
2007-11-25 19:31:11 · answer #2 · answered by minuteblue 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
That is a very good question. The DBW is based on E = mc^2 = hf, which is just a combination of the energy equations E = mc^2 and E = hf for mass and light respectively. Add Lf = c so that f = c/L and we have mc^2 = hc/L so that mc = h/L and L = h/mc; where L is the DBW of a mass m. h is Planck's constant and c is light speed.
As a major ingredient in getting L is E = hf, which is the energy of a photon and photons vibrate in a transverse direction, we have to presume the DBW also vibrates in a transverse direction. So, up and down, which is transverse, is probably the direction of the DBW. But, as no one has ever detected the DBW for mass particles, who really knows?
2007-11-25 19:27:41 · answer #3 · answered by oldprof 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The equation is w = h / m v, where w = wavelength; h = Planck's constant in J s; m = mass in kg; v = speed in m/s. h = 6.626*10^-34 m2 kg / s w = 6.626*10^-34/(2000*25) m = 1.324*10^-38 m Diameter of atom = 0.1 nm = 10^-10 m Ratio of wavelength of car to diameter of atom = 1.324*10^-28
2016-04-05 22:49:43 · answer #4 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋