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Quantum Derives

The word quantum derives from Latin and refers to discrete units of energy assigned to physical quantities like the energy of a resting atom. The discovery that particles exhibit both wave-like and particle properties led to the development of quantum mechanics, which underlies many fields of physics and chemistry. Quantum mechanics is essential for understanding systems at the atomic scale, as classical mechanics cannot explain the stability of atoms with electrons orbiting the nucleus without radiating energy.

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62 views1 page

Quantum Derives

The word quantum derives from Latin and refers to discrete units of energy assigned to physical quantities like the energy of a resting atom. The discovery that particles exhibit both wave-like and particle properties led to the development of quantum mechanics, which underlies many fields of physics and chemistry. Quantum mechanics is essential for understanding systems at the atomic scale, as classical mechanics cannot explain the stability of atoms with electrons orbiting the nucleus without radiating energy.

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alokesh1982
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© © All Rights Reserved
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The word quantum derives from the Latin, meaning "how great" or "how much".

[14] In quantum
mechanics, it refers to a discrete unit assigned to certain physical quantities such as the energy of
an atom at rest (see Figure 1). The discovery that particles are discrete packets of energy with
wave-like properties led to the branch of physics dealing with atomic and subatomic systems
which is today called quantum mechanics. It underlies the mathematical framework of many
fields of physics and chemistry, including condensed matter physics, solid-state physics, atomic
physics, molecular physics, computational physics, computational chemistry, quantum
chemistry, particle physics, nuclear chemistry, and nuclear physics.[15][better source needed] Some
fundamental aspects of the theory are still actively studied.[16]
Quantum mechanics is essential to understanding the behavior of systems at atomic length scales
and smaller. If the physical nature of an atom were solely described by classical mechanics,
electrons would not orbit the nucleus, since orbiting electrons emit radiation (due to circular
motion) and would eventually collide with the nucleus due to this loss of energy. This framework
was unable to explain the stability of atoms. Instead, electrons remain in an uncertain, nondeterministic, smeared, probabilistic waveparticle orbital about the nucleus, defying the
traditional assumptions of classical mechanics and electromagnetism.[17]

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