What are discrete orbits?

Discrete orbits are those orbits where electrons remain stable. As long as, electrons remain in these orbits, they do not radiate energy. Discrete orbits are also known as energy shells or energy levels.

How do electrons not fall into the nucleus?

Quantum mechanics states that among all the possible energy levels an electron can sit in the presence of a nucleus, there is one, which has THE MINIMAL energy. This energy level is called the ground state. So, even if atoms are in a very very called environment, QM prohibits electrons from falling to the nucleus.

Why electron orbits are discrete?

“Why do electrons have discrete energy levels/shells?” The discrete energy levels arise because electrons are bound to the atom, and thus have a wave function that must asymptotically go to zero at large distances from the nucleus.

What keeps an electron in orbit around the nucleus?

Oppositely charged particles attract each other, while like particles repel one another. Electrons are kept in the orbit around the nucleus by the electromagnetic force, because the nucleus in the center of the atom is positively charged and attracts the negatively charged electrons.

Do electrons have discrete orbits?

The electrons can only orbit stably, without radiating, in certain orbits (called by Bohr the “stationary orbits”) at a certain discrete set of distances from the nucleus. These orbits are associated with definite energies and are also called energy shells or energy levels.

How do electrons orbit the nucleus?

Unlike planets orbiting the Sun, electrons cannot be at any arbitrary distance from the nucleus; they can exist only in certain specific locations called allowed orbits. The electron travels in circular orbits around the nucleus. The orbits have quantized sizes and energies.

Who discovered photon?

Photon

Photons are emitted in threaded laser beams
Composition	Elementary particle
Interactions	Electromagnetic, Weak (and Gravity)
Symbol	γ
Theorized	Albert Einstein (1905) The name “photon” is generally attributed to Gilbert N. Lewis (1926)

Do electrons really orbit the nucleus?

The picture we often have of electrons as small objects circling a nucleus in well defined “orbits” is actually quite wrong. The positions of these electrons at any given time are not well-defined, but we CAN figure out the volume of space where we are likely to find a given electron if we do an experiment to look.

Do electrons in the sstates tend to peak at the nucleus?

In fact, electrons in the sstates tend to peakat the nucleus. Electrons are not little balls that can fall into the nucleus under electrostatic attraction. Rather, electrons are quantized wavefunctions that spread out in space and can sometimes act like particles in limited ways. An electron in an atom spreads out according to its energy.

Why don’t electrons in the atom fall into the nucleus?

All electron states overlap with the nucleus, so the concept of an electron “falling into” or “entering” the nucleus does not really make sense. Electrons are always partially in the nucleus. If the question was supposed to ask, “Why don’t electrons in the atom get localized in the nucleus?”

How do electrons spread out in an atom?

An electron in an atom spreads out according to its energy. The states with more energy are more spread out. All electron states overlap with the nucleus, so the concept of an electron “falling into” or “entering” the nucleus does not really make sense.