Author Topic: Physics for Beginners  (Read 5978 times)

Offline ginnie

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Physics for Beginners
« on: June 02, 2012, 09:00:29 PM »
... and I'm the beginner.
I've been reading about Quantum Mechanics a bit lately and I must say that comprehending what I'm reading is very difficult for me. So I read it over. Then again.
I have a hard time understanding wave-particle duality - I assume a photon is a particle, but...
Some questions:

It seems that when an electron gets hit by a photon, it goes into a higher orbit around the nucleus. And the wavelength (there's that wave stuff again) has to be specific to the frequency that the electron will react too. Okay. But lets say the electron is already in its highest orbit possible and it gets hit by three photons at the same time. What would happen? Would that just never occur - would there have to be enough time for one photon to be tossed out before the next one hits, or if hit three times at the same instant would the electron itself maybe be ejected by the nucleus? 

Offline Echnaton

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Re: Physics for Beginners
« Reply #1 on: June 02, 2012, 10:27:37 PM »
I don't know about that, but her is a joke about wave particle duality.

So two polar bears are sitting in a bath tub. One asks the other "Could you please pass the soap?" and the other replies "No soap, radio!"

The sun shone, having no alternative, on the nothing new. —Samuel Beckett