Is an electron considered solid?

Question

By definition a solid is pretty much something you can hold,see,smell,taste,ect.Right?Well an electron is a subatomic particle negatively charged.Now that we are in the 21st century, and have such equipment to be able to see the microscopic entities...what can we consider them?

So my question stands is an electron a solid?Why or why not.

This is what I get for studying too late at night.

Thanks guys!~ace

Answer 1

No! Electrons are not solid. They are a cloud as we call them Electron cloud. By the old Rutherford's model we have seen the electrons to be solid particles revolving around the central nucleus. However for the electrons in Bohr's model or Sommerfeild's model, quantum mechanics were applied on them. As a result the findings stated that the electron was a form of a wave whose wavelength was a integral multiple of a number callled Principle Quantun Number. Later findings by Heisenberg stated that the position of an electron is uncertain. From that point electrons changed from bieng solid spherical objects to a cloud of energy denser at the regions of the orbit. This particular phenomena is termed as Radial Distribution of the Electron Cloud.(Its proof involves advanced Partial-Derivative mathematics as well as a concept of Schrodinger's Wave Equation).

Moreover there are no instruments to actually veiw the molecular particles, leave alone atoms. If you are thinking of electron microscope, then all it does is magnifies the cellular image to an astounding 18000X, but for veiwing atoms and electrons the magnification has to be around 100 million X.  All that we do is send a beam of light to investigate properties of electrons and atoms, but never can we even veiw molecules.

Read up a few college level Physics and Atomic Chemistry books that contain Quantum Mechanics, Wave Mechanics, Atomic Structure and learn up Partial Differentiation and Line Integration before you study those subjects.

Answer 2

if it takes up space or has weight its a solid, id say yeah, but judge for your self

Answer 3

The electron's mass is given by: m=E/c^2:

where E=0.511 Mev is it's "rest" energy

and c= the speed of light 299,792,458 m/s

This is called the mass equivalent of the electron:

m=E/c^2

= 0.511 Mev / (299792458^2) = 9.10940144*10^-31 kg

But this mass is not solid. It's a localized energy

wave to put it simply.

Hope this helps

Answer 4

Solid vs liquid vs gas vs plasma depends on how a large group of particles are interacting together.

So if you have one atom and ask "is this single carbon atom a solid" that doesn't make any sense. The same is true of considering a single electron.

So an electron is just an elementary particle, and it doesn't have different phases.

Great question, and keep pondering these things!

PS - Whoever told you that a solid is "something you can hold, see, smell, taste" is being way too vague! How would this person define a liquid, then?

Answer 5

Solid particles!