Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

hi!
What prevents the electrons in an atom from flying off (seeing as they are rotating around soooo quickly)?

Electrons don't actually revolve around the nucleus of an atom; this is simply a model to help us imagine what we can't see. We can never know for sure where electrons are positioned around the nucleus. Currently, the best way to estimate their positions are with probability distributions, and even then, we cannot know both the position and velocity of an electron at a given time (Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle).

That being said, the electrons still remain in areas around the nucleus. There's a simple explanation for this: Protons are positively charged, and electrons are negatively charged. Positive and negative attract, and it is this electromagnetic force that keeps the negative electrons around the positive nucleus.

However, if an atom is unstable, it is possible for it to lose an electron in a phenomenon known as beta decay. Find out more about it here: https://www.britannica.com/science/beta-decay

-Karen

In an atom, there is a nucleus made up of neutral charged, neutrons, and positively charged protons. The reason why electrons which are negatively charged, don't fly off is due to its stronger attraction to the protons. Basically, the positive charge of the proton binds the electron from flying off, since opposites attract. This however, still allows the electrons to move around the nucleus of an atom.