Question

In the Bohr model of the hydrogen atom, the electron moves around the one- proton nucleus on circular orbits of well-determined radii, given by \(r_{n}=n^{2} a_{\mathrm{B}}\), where \(n=1,2,3, \ldots\) is an integer that defines the orbit and \(a_{\mathrm{B}}=5.29 \cdot 10^{-11} \mathrm{~m}\) is the radius of the first (minimum) orbit, called the Bohr radius. Calculate the force of electrostatic interaction between the electron and the proton in the hydrogen atom for the first four orbits. Compare the strength of this interaction to the gravitational interaction between the proton and the electron.

Short answer

Question: In the context of the Bohr model of the hydrogen atom, calculate the electrostatic force of interaction between the electron and the proton in the first four orbits. Compare the strength of the electrostatic interaction to the gravitational interaction between the electron and the proton for each orbit.

Step-by-step solution

Find the radii of the first four orbits

Using the formula \(r_n = n^2 a_{B}\), calculate the radii of the first four orbits (n=1, 2, 3, and 4).

Calculate the electrostatic force

Apply Coulomb's Law to each orbit to find the electrostatic force between the electron and the proton. The formula for Coulomb's Law is \(F_e = \frac{k \cdot q_1 \cdot q_2}{r^2}\), where \(k = 8.988 \cdot 10^9 \ Nm^2 C^{-2}\) is the electrostatic constant, \(q_1\) and \(q_2\) are the charges of the interacting particles, and \(r\) is the distance between them.

Calculate the gravitational force

Using Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation, find the gravitational force between the electron and the proton for each orbit. The formula for gravitational force is \(F_g = \frac{G \cdot m_1 \cdot m_2}{r^2}\), where \(G = 6.674 \cdot 10^{-11} \ Nm^2 kg^{-2}\) is the gravitational constant, \(m_1\) and \(m_2\) are the masses of the interacting particles, and \(r\) is the distance between them.

Compare the strengths of the two forces

Finally, compare the strengths of the electrostatic interaction and the gravitational interaction for each orbit by taking the ratio between the two forces: \(\text{ratio} = \frac{F_{e}}{F_g}\).