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Given a measurable space (,) and a measure on that space, a set in is called an atom if > and for any measurable subset , either () = or () = (). [ 1 ] The equivalence class of A {\displaystyle A} is defined by [ A ] := { B ∈ Σ : μ ( A Δ B ) = 0 } , {\displaystyle [A]:=\{B\in \Sigma :\mu (A\Delta B)=0\},} where Δ {\displaystyle \Delta ...
Atomic units are chosen to reflect the properties of electrons in atoms, which is particularly clear in the classical Bohr model of the hydrogen atom for the bound electron in its ground state: Mass = 1 a.u. of mass; Charge = −1 a.u. of charge; Orbital radius = 1 a.u. of length; Orbital velocity = 1 a.u. of velocity [44]: 597
Philosophical atomism is a reductive argument, proposing not only that everything is composed of atoms and void, but that nothing they compose really exists: the only things that really exist are atoms ricocheting off each other mechanistically in an otherwise empty void.
If an atom has more electrons than protons, then it has an overall negative charge and is called a negative ion (or anion). Conversely, if it has more protons than electrons, it has a positive charge and is called a positive ion (or cation). The electrons of an atom are attracted to the protons in an atomic nucleus by the electromagnetic force.
Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory that describes the behavior of nature at and below the scale of atoms. [2]: 1.1 It is the foundation of all quantum physics, which includes quantum chemistry, quantum field theory, quantum technology, and quantum information science.
The current theoretical model of the atom involves a dense nucleus surrounded by a probabilistic "cloud" of electrons. Atomic theory is the scientific theory that matter is composed of particles called atoms. The definition of the word "atom" has changed over the years in response to scientific discoveries.
The adoption of the term "nucleus" to atomic theory, however, was not immediate. In 1916, for example, Gilbert N. Lewis stated, in his famous article The Atom and the Molecule, that "the atom is composed of the kernel and an outer atom or shell." [12] Similarly, the term kern meaning kernel is used for nucleus in German and Dutch.
Electrons exist in energy levels (i.e. atomic orbitals) within an atom. Atomic orbitals are quantized, meaning they exist as defined values instead of being continuous (see: atomic orbitals ). Electrons may move between orbitals, but in doing so they must absorb or emit energy equal to the energy difference between their atom's specific ...