3 ms·

Mostly empty space. That always amazes me. Especially knowing that if they could zoom in further to the subatomic level, the atoms themselves would also be mos

Mostly empty space. That always amazes me. Especially knowing that if they could zoom in further to the subatomic level, the atoms themselves would also be mostly empty space.

cartoonworld 5y ago
IIRC, because of the necessary simplicity of the Bohr Model, it would essentially be a dot -- totally empty, as the electrons exist in a probabilistic cloud. According to some theories[1], there might only be one electron total in the entire universe. Completely entrancing. Do you think the electrons could pass between the subatomic bonds of positrons, neutrons, etc? I've never heard an explanation of what might happen. [0] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-electron_universe https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-electron_universe
nomel 5y ago
Empty space, but not empty in energy, correct? They wouldn't be held far apart if there was no energy between them.
6nf 5y ago
> Especially knowing that if they could zoom in further to the subatomic level, the atoms themselves would also be mostly empty space. I don't think this is really true, what you're seein in these picures are the probability distribution of the particles. Zooming in will make the high probability areas bigger until you end up with an area where the probability density is approximately at the maximum and evenly smeared out. The probability cloud does not end in a sharp point or a a singularity, there is a smooth maximum instead. I wouldn't feel comfortable calling that area 'mostly empty space' it just feels like the wrong visual
- ineedasername 5y ago
  Isn't the probability cloud still pretty much empty? It may have a greater probability of being in a particular point in denser probability space, but it still is not actually at all of those points. Though I understand it is also not quite the same as most of the space being truly empty in the traditional sense either.
akomtu 5y ago
Not really empty. They float in magnetic field.
- ineedasername 5y ago
  In that sense of the word nothing could be said to be truly empty as there are always "fields" of some sort. At minimum there is always a gravitational field. If we are going to use the word "empty" at all, then we are implicitly setting boundaries on the sense of the word to, usually, exclude the four fundamental forces.
throwawaycities 5y ago
A common scale for an atom is a professional football stadium. The nucleus would be a marble on the 50 yard line and the remainder of the field and entire stadium would be the electron cloud where you would somewhere find the electron(s). Continuing down the rabbit hole the marble (nucleus) is also mostly made up of empty space.

Mostly empty space. That always amazes me. Especially knowing that if they could zoom in further to the subatomic level, the atoms themselves would also be mostly empty space.

cartoonworld 5y ago

IIRC, because of the necessary simplicity of the Bohr Model, it would essentially be a dot -- totally empty, as the electrons exist in a probabilistic cloud. According to some theories[1], there might only be one electron total in the entire universe. Completely entrancing. Do you think the electrons could pass between the subatomic bonds of positrons, neutrons, etc? I've never heard an explanation of what might happen. [0] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-electron_universe https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-electron_universe

nomel 5y ago

Empty space, but not empty in energy, correct? They wouldn't be held far apart if there was no energy between them.

6nf 5y ago

> Especially knowing that if they could zoom in further to the subatomic level, the atoms themselves would also be mostly empty space. I don't think this is really true, what you're seein in these picures are the probability distribution of the particles. Zooming in will make the high probability areas bigger until you end up with an area where the probability density is approximately at the maximum and evenly smeared out. The probability cloud does not end in a sharp point or a a singularity, there is a smooth maximum instead. I wouldn't feel comfortable calling that area 'mostly empty space' it just feels like the wrong visual

ineedasername 5y ago
Isn't the probability cloud still pretty much empty? It may have a greater probability of being in a particular point in denser probability space, but it still is not actually at all of those points. Though I understand it is also not quite the same as most of the space being truly empty in the traditional sense either.

akomtu 5y ago

Not really empty. They float in magnetic field.

ineedasername 5y ago
In that sense of the word nothing could be said to be truly empty as there are always "fields" of some sort. At minimum there is always a gravitational field. If we are going to use the word "empty" at all, then we are implicitly setting boundaries on the sense of the word to, usually, exclude the four fundamental forces.

throwawaycities 5y ago

A common scale for an atom is a professional football stadium. The nucleus would be a marble on the 50 yard line and the remainder of the field and entire stadium would be the electron cloud where you would somewhere find the electron(s). Continuing down the rabbit hole the marble (nucleus) is also mostly made up of empty space.