Will the potential energy of an electron increase or decrease the further away it is from the nucleus?
TL;DR: Electron’s further from the nucleus are held more weakly by the nucleus, and thus can be removed by spending less energy. Hence we say they have higher energy.
Why do electrons move away from nucleus?
In an atom, an electron is attracted to the nucleus by the “electromagnetic force”, similar to your rubber band. Like your baseball, the faster the electron goes, the farther away from the nucleus it is. The electrons in an atom are moving pretty fast, so they are far away from the nucleus.
What happens when electrons get further away from the nucleus?
When electrons are excited they move to a higher energy orbital farther away from the atom. The further the orbital is from the nucleus, the higher the potential energy of an electron at that energy level. When the electron returns to a low energy state, it releases the potential energy in the form of kinetic energy.
How does the energy change when the electron moves closer to the nucleus?
When the electron moves closer to the nucleus, the magnitude of energy of the nucleus increases.
Why do electrons move away from the nucleus?
Why do electrons further away from nucleus have more energy?
As the distance from the nucleus increases, the levels get closer together and contain more-energetic electrons (Figure 5.4). The energy of an electron in one of the levels at a considerable distance from the nucleus is greater than that of an electron in a closer level.
What happens when electrons move closer to the nucleus?
Viewed simply, electrons are arranged in shells around an atom’s nucleus. Electrons closest to the nucleus will have the lowest energy. Electrons further away from the nucleus will have higher energy. In a more realistic model, electrons move in atomic orbitals, or subshells.
How does the energy of an electron moves closer to the nucleus?
How does the energy of an electron change when the electron moves closer to the nucleus? It increases. When an electron moves from a lower to a higher energy level, the electron…