- #1
diagopod
- 98
- 3
I'm stuck on a pretty basic concept. I'm thinking in terms of the Bohr model, which I know is rather archaic now, but I think the outputs of the model for basic understanding still hold? In any event, to my understanding, at least in hydrogen, N = 1 corresponds to the electron having zero eV, and N = 2 to 10.2 eV, so an electron that absorbs a photon of 10.2 eV will change to N = 2 at a greater radius and now have 10.2 eV in terms of its energy, which I assume is essentially kinetic. So an electron's kinetic energy increases with radius or N. Yet all the while its velocity decreases with radius or N. And yet its kinetic energy is supposed to be a function of its velocity, right, even in QM, or no? The only other place for the energy to come I would think is potential energy due to its presence in the electrostatic field, but that decreases with radius too, right by V = kQ/r? That's the contradiction that I have in my head, although I know it's a matter of me missing something essential here. Any guidance would be appreciated and thanks for your patience.