The Electron

Responsible for electricity and much more...

The electron is an atomic particle that was discovered in 1897 by J. J. Thomson.

They are by convention negatively charged, and they are usually found surrounding the protons and neutrons that form the nucleus of most atoms.

They are stable particles, have the symbol e-, and a mass of around 0.511MeV... their charge is -1 and they have spin 1/2.

The electron belongs to a class of particles that are known as fermions (as opposed to bosons), due to their spin. Fermions are sub-divided into quarks and leptons, and electrons are leptons in the standard model, along with the heavier and unstable muon and tau particles.

It is the configuration of the electrons around the nucleus that account for the regularities that are exhibited in the periodic table or for many chemical properties in general. Being fermions they are subject to Pauli's exclusion principles and orbit the nucleus at different energy levels, which can be seen as corresponding to different distances from the nucleus. The number of electrons in the most distant shell account for most of the chemical properties. Those elements such as the noble gases with a complete outer shell are very stable and non-reactive; those that have just one electron or require just one will be much more reactive and form compounds much more readily. The flow of electrons in metals also accounts for electricity.

The anti-particle of an electron is called a positron, which is identical except that it has opposite charge, by convention being positively charged, and if the two meet they will annihilate and the mass is converted into a release of pure energy.

Electrons have been considered fundamental until recently, where in some experiments it has appeared that electrons have split into two particles - called spinons and holons. This means we may have to revise the idea that the electron is fundamental, unless the interpretation of the data, or the data itself, was incorrect in this instance.

Here are some pure speculations I've come up with as to how to interpret these results if reliable, (disclaimer: based on knowing nothing about what the data actually showed or what the experiments were to do with so some of these may make no sense):

1) The electron didn't really split, but some other particle appeared in the data (e.g. Higgs Boson)

2) The electron isn't actually basic and the data should be interpreted straightforwardly

3) The electron is basic but this is the manifestation of some new bizarre quantum effect due to the way that the electrons were constrained so tightly whereby a 'pinned down' particle splits temporarily in two perhaps to ensure that some data regarding the particle remains unknowable

4) If 3 is true it could put a different spin (no pun intended) on a particle going through both slits in a double-slit experiment - if it wasn't basic then it could be the constituent parts going through both slits in some non-conventional sense and not the particle being in two places at once.

The Electron

Author: Dan moore

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Last Updated: Sep 2nd 2009

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