University Physics with Modern Physics (14th Edition)

Published by Pearson
ISBN 10: 0321973615
ISBN 13: 978-0-32197-361-0

Chapter 39 - Particles Behaving as Waves - Problems - Discussion Questions - Page 1313: Q39.11

Answer

The planets do not obey such a law, as shown by the data in Appendix F.

Work Step by Step

Electron orbits obey the law described because the electrons’ angular momenta are quantized. There is no reason for planets to obey a similar law, because a planet can orbit the sun at an arbitrary distance. For example, if the Earth (as we know, it is the third planet from the sun) suddenly vanished, then Mars would become n=3 but its orbit would be unchanged. The presence or absence of planets does not greatly affect the orbits of other planets, so there is no relationship between n and the orbital radius.
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