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A comment on IBM takes first 3D image of atomic bonds. Parent comment

Re:IBM takes first 3D image of atomic bonds by speek on Thursday August 27, 2009 @06:18PM (#790244)
Those "clouds" are probability clouds. It means that the electron should be in the vicinity of the cloud at any given time.

Also, consider that an electron is 1/1000 the size of a proton.

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Re:IBM takes first 3D image of atomic bonds by flipbrad on Friday August 28, 2009 @03:53AM (#790980)
actually, if you consider that afm is directly detecting charges, I guess we're talking about more than probability here - that picture ought to be a (rough) record of where the charges in that molecule were as the AFM needle passed over the molecule in that 20hr period
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Re:IBM takes first 3D image of atomic bonds by ars on Friday August 28, 2009 @06:03AM (#791094)
Electrons in an atom don't have a [specific] location. It's not a concept that exists for them. So, yes, it's a probability.

Despite the common image, electrons don't orbit the nucleus like planets around the sun. They sort of exist around the entire thing in all locations at the same time (in 3D, not in a ring, but a shell).

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