What is the Quantum Atom?
To help explain what the quantum atom is, paradoxically, it is necessary to explain what it isn’t. There is a general misconception surrounding the structure of atoms. Many people would describe them as having a massively heavy nucleus consisting of the positively charged protons and electrically neutral neutrons surrounded by orbiting electrons of negative charge. This model is simple to understand because of the analogy with the familiar concept of the planets orbiting the sun. Instead of gravity holding things together, the forces of attraction are electrostatic owing to the differing charges of the nucleus and the electrons. This is a classical model of the atom, as it is based on the classical Newtonian laws of mechanics. The description of the classical atoms given earlier is incorrect in one way — the use of the word “orbiting”. Whilst to many this may seem a point of pedantry, to quantum physicists, it’s closer to heresy. When considering the electron to be simply a particle of
