blank space within atoms

[mehdiinlove]

hello all.

I have a question may be not related to electricity but i hope someone answer me.My question is: We know that most of space within atoms is blank space.So with this regard why do we see the bodies solid not hollow? I mean why don't we see any blank space in the things we are observing?

Regards

 

[j.p.bill]

A half-tone picture in a newspaper is small dots with empty space around them. If you are some distance away, the picture has a tonal gradation from dark to light. Up close, you see dots and empty space. Atoms are pretty small, especially to the eye. Imagine how close your point of view would have to be and how fine your resolution would have to be in order to visualize the empty space in an atom. don't forget that the electron cloud is not transparent to photons.

 

[mehdiinlove]

Thanks

Thanks J.P.Bill

that was my younger brother's question and he thanks you .We are form Iran.Thanks dear for your reply.

Have a nice time

 

[Shax]

DOH!! You missed your own answer!!

The atom is indeed mostly empty space, but it's surrounded by a "shell" of electrons orbiting quite quickly, thereby giving the impression of a solid shell and stopping photons of light, hence everyday objects appear solid......

Now, if you could stop the electrons from orbiting the nucleus, you would have the key to invisibility, as photons of light would no longer be blocked by the electron shell!!!

This answer is complete speculation, and some would say complete bollocks, but I had fun writing it!!

 

[Papabravo]

DOH!! You missed your own answer!!

The atom is indeed mostly empty space, but it's surrounded by a "shell" of electrons orbiting quite quickly, thereby giving the impression of a solid shell and stopping photons of light, hence everyday objects appear solid......

Now, if you could stop the electrons from orbiting the nucleus, you would have the key to invisibility, as photons of light would no longer be blocked by the electron shell!!!

This answer is complete speculation, and some would say complete bollocks, but I had fun writing it!!

Just to be really nit-picky electrons don't really orbit anything. The grade school analogy with the solar system just isn't very accurate or useful. You correctly refer to an electron cloud, which when described by a wave function, will allow the computation of probable locations for the electron. The problem with trying to pin the little buggers down is that according to the Heisenberg uncertainty principal, it means we cannot tell how fast it's moving, and if we know how fast it's moving then we cant tell where it is, which implies it is essentially everywhere. You can't make up the counter intuitive stuff of Quantum Mechanics. It is truly stranger than fiction. Even Einstein was skeptical.

 

[donniedj]

Its you who cannot see not them that cannot be seen:

10 cars parked 10 feet from each other is easy to see from 10 blocks away. But from 10 miles away, it all looks like 1 car to the human eye. Then when seen with magnification its all clear mainly because the cars are stationary.

You can see the space between matter if your eye where that GODLIKE precise and if the matter was stationary. Magnification allows use to see the space between molecules and would go even further with super atomic precise magnification pass that of Scanning Tunnelling Microscopes. BUT!!! the matter must be stationary. Now if you somehow acheive absolute zero motion, let me know and I will be your best richest friend because you will be the richest person in history forever more.

 

[HiTech]

Atoms are pretty small, especially to the eye.

Ya think so? My neighbor Adam, is 5'10" and I can see him quite easily, even across the street.

 

[dknguyen]

Ya think so? My neighbor Adam, is 5'10" and I can see him quite easily, even across the street.

You must have super vision then. You could probably get a job as a physicist without a degree.

 

[Shax]

Here's an interesting fact (?)....

1 GRAM of antimatter has the explosive equivalent of 43,000 TONNES of TNT!!!

 

[donniedj]

Too bad we will never see even .1 gram of anti-matter in our combined lifetime.

 

[kchriste]

Too bad we will never see even .1 gram of anti-matter in our combined lifetime.

And it will be very short if you do!

 

[Hero999]

So with this regard why do we see the bodies solid not hollow? I mean why don't we see any blank space in the things we are observing?

We do, if we look at the atoms using Xrays or gamma rays. The reason you can't see the gaps with visible light is because the wave length is too large to fit through the gaps. If you look at fine wire mesh with a radar it will appear like a solid metal sheet for exactly the same reason; the wavelenght is too long to fit through the gaps.

 

[dknguyen]

We do, if we look at the atoms using Xrays or gamma rays. The reason you can't see the gaps with visible light is because the wave length is too large to fit through the gaps. If you look at fine wire mesh with a radar it will appear like a solid metal sheet for exactly the same reason; the wavelenght is too long to fit through the gaps.

Woo! An explanation meaningful on a human scale!

 

[ericgibbs]

What Hero said about the wavelength of visible light, started we thinking about visible light lasers.

We are told that orbiting electrons in the atom structure are raised to higher energy levels when the laser is being 'pumped' up by the external exciting source.

The laser action is when these energised electrons fall back into orbits nearer to the nucleus of the atom, as this happens they emit visible light.

Depending on the material and the electron bands involved a coherent visible light colour is produced.

If visible light is too long to pass thru the spaces between the individual atoms, how does the light get out??

I think I have a rough idea, but I suspect Luis German, will give me the correct answer.

Is it because the laser light emission only takes place at the surface of the material?

Is the space between atoms really empty?

Eric

 

[Optikon]

If visible light is too long to pass thru the spaces between the individual atoms, how does the light get out??

.....

Is the space between atoms really empty?

Eric

Light doesnt pass through. Thats why we cant see through things!

Vacuum / empty space is not really empty (there is not such things as truly empty space. The vacuum/empty space we talk about is actually filled with a sea of virtual particles coming into and out of existence.

 

[ericgibbs]

hi optikon

Light doesnt pass through. Thats why we cant see through things!

If light doesnt get out, how is it we see the visible laser light, thats the question I asked?

I agree with your 'definition' of so called 'empty' space.

Eric

 

[Hero999]

I think he might be talking about transparent things?

Well I did over simplify things a bit.

It's the interaction with between different frequencies of electromagnetic radiation and the electrons surrounding atoms that deturmine whether a material is transparent or not. Here's where it gets a bit more complicated but I'll try to keep it simple. Materials only aborb if the electrons surrounding the atoms are at the right energy levels; if they aren't then the material will be transparent.
**broken link removed**)

 

[Marks256]

Vacuum / empty space is not really empty (there is not such things as truly empty space. The vacuum/empty space we talk about is actually filled with a sea of virtual particles coming into and out of existence.

Isn't that called "dark matter"? Or something similar?

 

[ericgibbs]

hi hero,

Another question pops up, regarding a previous post, saying that the atoms are too close together so light/photons can't pass thru.

In that case how can we see thru glass, [its classified as a liquid], its far more dense than some types of wood but we cant see thru wood?

What about water?

Also what about a glass prism, 'white' sunlight in, coloured spectrum out, the light must be passing thru the dense glass??

As papabravo says, the 'older' electron/atom shell theory is 'dodgy'. For a better explanation of 'dodgy' read his post.

I think we have a long way too go before we have a better understanding what 'maybe' going on, 'uncertainity' suggests we never will.

Once, humanity was convinced that the earth was at the centre of the universe and the earth was flat
and smoking was good for you, as it helped you to relax.

Todays fact is tomorrows 'U' turn.!
Eric

 

[Sceadwian]

Only a complete vacuum is actually transparent, any material which transmits part of the EM spectrum is actually translucent but that's just a technicality =) I have no idea how it actually functions but it has to do with both the atomic and molecular structure of the materials not absorbing very much of a particular frequency of energy because of the energy states.