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Re: [Phys-l] Prising electrons from the atom

Ahh! But why do you believe that? It's a free country, and anybody can say anything! (But, hint, see Arons, A Guide to Introductory Physics Teaching, Chapter 6, who will tell you how to decide for yoursel and not rely on someone else's possible misunderstandings.
Regards,
Jack

On Thu, 18 Dec 2008, sridhar chitta wrote:

I received this from School champions forum:

Although a very sharp tool is able to cut common materials, examining its
point under a microscope will show that its diameter is many atoms thick.
Thus it with not be effective in breaking away electrons from an atom.

On the other hand, molecular forces like adhesion, which is used in static
electricity will easily pry away electrons from a material.
Sridhar

On Thu, Dec 18, 2008 at 7:42 AM, sridhar chitta
<sridhar10chitta@gmail.com>wrote:

2) Why cannot a hammer and chisel that can exert a force of say, 100
Newtons be used to prise an electron away from the nucleus of a copper
atom
in a copper bar given that the radius of an atom is of the order of
10-10meters and the electric force of attraction between a proton and
an electron
that are this far apart is a *mere 2.3 x 10**-8 **Newtons** ?* (Electric
and
Magnetic Interactions by Sherwood and Chabay)

How do you know it can't be done?
How sure are you?

Hint: triboelectricity (aka "static electricity"). There's lots
of that this time of year (in northern temperate regions).

One suggestion made by a machine tool designer is that the area over which
the sharp chisel transmits the force maybe considered to be "several" atoms
across and the stress is calculated as force / area. The stress is therefore
much smaller and this probablycannot be sufficient enough to prise the
electron.
And yet, I feel John Denker maybe right and I will need to look into the
triboelectricity aspect.

Thanks
Sridhar


On Wed, Dec 17, 2008 at 11:46 PM, Bernard Cleyet <
bernardcleyet@redshift.com> wrote:

"Radioactivity is an "earthly" occurrence. Electron capture (i.e.
inverse beta-decay of a neutron) is readily observable. It is
the merger of an electron into a nucleus." [JD]



That's why it's called "K capture" and not l, etc. . [referring to JU]

bc thinks, referring to what I think is sr's original thought,
electron colliders have been doing this for years.


On 2008, Dec 17, , at 08:19, Jack Uretsky wrote:

1. I don't think that yuu are reading the "simplified explanation"
carefully. "Does not merge with" is not the same as "keeps away
from".
As a matter-of-fact the s-orbitals of hydrogen, for example, spend a
fraction of teir time inside the nucleus.

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Thanks
Sridhar Chitta






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