7. Particles, Waves, and     Paradoxes   Previous PageNext Page
    The Discontinuous Atom


Both and can be calculated in the Bohr theory from Planck's constant and the charge and mass of the electron, and checked against experimental values.

The most important new idea in Bohr's model of the atom is the conclusion that not every energy is possible for the atom.

The energy of an atom is restricted, or quantized.

This quantization of energy arises from Assumption 2 (standing waves around the circumference of the orbit) just as the overtones that one can get from a vibrating violin string are determined by its length (standing waves along the string).

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