A simplified model of a silicon atom treats a electron as being

PHYSICS · Multi-part · CBSE · Physics · Electric Charges and Fields · Electric Charges and Fields

Problem

A simplified model of a silicon atom treats a

2p

electron as being, on average,

0.050\,\text{nm}

from the nucleus and a

3p

electron as being

0.15\,\text{nm}

from the nucleus. For this model, assume both electrons experience the full nuclear charge of

+14

and that all other electrons are neglected. (a) Determine the ratio

\displaystyle \frac{F_{2p}}{F_{3p}}

of the electrostatic attraction on the

2p

electron to that on the

3p

electron based solely on their average distances from the nucleus. (b) Real silicon atoms do not strictly obey the assumptions of this model. Describe two specific factors present in an actual atom that would reduce the calculated ratio in part (a).

Related theory

Coulomb's Law
Electric Force
Coulomb's law and superposition of forces
Electric Charges and Fields

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