Bohr Model
by Pearl Ruparel
Main Idea
In atomic physics, the Bohr model depicts the atom as a small, positively charged nucleus surrounded by electrons in orbit similar in structure to the solar system. In the Bohr Model the neutrons and protons occupy a dense central region (the nucleus), while the electrons orbit the nucleus, like the planets orbit the Sun. That is why the Bohr Model is commonly referred tot as the "planetary model".It is taught as an introduction to quantum physics. In the Bohr Model, electrons can only be at certain, discrete, distances from the proton to which it is bound. Energy is quantized as explained by the Bohr Model. This means that only orbits with certain radii are allowed, while orbits in between simply don't exist. These levels are knows an quantized energy levels and are labeled with integer N known as quantum number. The lowest energy state is generally termed the ground state. The states with successively more energy than the ground state are called the first excited state, the second excited state, and so on. As the electrons become further away from the nucleus, they become larger and have higher energy. Beyond an energy called the ionization potential the single electron of the hydrogen atom is no longer bound to the atom.
A Mathematical Model
As discovered by Neil Bohr, the radius can be derived from using the angular momentum equation.
A Computational Model
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History
The first successful model of hydrogen was developed by Bohr in 1913, and incorporated the new ideas of quantum theory. Neil Bohr explained the emission spectra of hydrogen by improving on the Rutherford model of the atom. Initially, Rutherford's planetary model predicted a continuous spectrum of light from hydrogen. However, Bohr corrected for this by proposing that the translational angular momentum of the electron can be quantized. Although this model is not entirely correct, it has many features that are and is therefore used in physics.
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See also
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