Question

Use the uncertainty relation to answer Rutherford's question and Schrodinger's criticism. Rutherford's question: How does an...

Use the uncertainty relation to answer Rutherford's question and Schrodinger's criticism. Rutherford's question: How does an electron decide at what frequency it is going to vibrate when an electron jumps from one stationary state to another? It seems to me that you would assume that the electron knows beforehand where it is going to stop. Schrodingers's criticism: the famous "damned quantum jumping" According to relativity, when an electron moves from one orbit to another orbit, its velocity cannot cannot be infinite, that is, it cannot exceed the velocity of light. Thus it takes time for the transition. Moreover, in this period of time when the electron has left E1 state but has not reached E2 state, what state is it in? This cannot be answered by the theory of "the damned jumping."

Homework Answers

Answer #1

Both question can be answered by following argument -

Heisenberg uncertainty principle states that we cannot know accurately both the velocity and the position of a particle at the present instant. We cannot predict the future of the particular particle beyond a level of accuracy
related to the Planck constant.
The outcome for a particular particle will fall within a range of possibilities, and this range can be predicted.
But the specific outcome, regarding a particular particle is, we might say, sub-causal, and not subject to prediction.

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