- #1
TRB8985
- 74
- 15
Good morning all,
Recently in a modern physics course of mine, my professor was covering the topic of energy levels and ionization energies and it included a diagram very similar to this one:
While it is interesting to learn that these diagrams correspond to a very specific and strict set of energies in which the angular momentum is quantized, I'm left with a bigger question that's a little reminiscent of Max Planck's historical perspective.
Why is a continuum of energies not allowed? Perhaps more interestingly, assuming the angular momentum were NOT quantized, could life still exist somehow? Or is the conservation of angular momentum in quantum systems crucial for the formation of structures which spring forth life?
Recently in a modern physics course of mine, my professor was covering the topic of energy levels and ionization energies and it included a diagram very similar to this one:
While it is interesting to learn that these diagrams correspond to a very specific and strict set of energies in which the angular momentum is quantized, I'm left with a bigger question that's a little reminiscent of Max Planck's historical perspective.
Why is a continuum of energies not allowed? Perhaps more interestingly, assuming the angular momentum were NOT quantized, could life still exist somehow? Or is the conservation of angular momentum in quantum systems crucial for the formation of structures which spring forth life?