You will find in Chapter 39 that electrons cannot move in definite orbits within atoms

Chapter 38, Problem 68

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You will find in Chapter 39 that electrons cannot move in definite orbits within atoms, like the planets in our solar system. To see why, let us try to observe such an orbiting electron by using a light microscope to measure the electrons presumed orbital position with a precision of, say, 10 pm (a typical atom has a radius of about 100 pm). The wavelength of the light used in the microscope must then be about 10 pm. (a) What would be the photon energy of this light? (b) How much energy would such a photon impart to an electron in a head-on collision? (c) What do these results tell you about the possibility of viewing an atomic electron at two or more points along its presumed orbital path? (Hint: The outer electrons of atoms are bound to the atom by energies of only a few electron-volts.)

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