Quote:
Originally Posted by Zaps
No offense intended good buddy, but from your earlier reply to me it appeared as if you didn't know that.
My italics.
In particle physics (and elsewhere), electrons are generally accepted to be point sources to all intents and purposes, and the same can almost be said about the far more massive atomic nuclei, so in effect there is no surface to an atom.
And, as far as colliding particles are concerned, there is no grain of dust: The atom it interacts with can comprise any part of that mote, be it on the surface or right smack in the middle.
Once you are in the realm of the atomic and the sub-atomic, human world dimensions are no longer meaningful and should be ignored.
Like I said, no offense intended. It's just sometimes you can learn sumpin' new, even from old guys like me!  |
No offense taken. However despite the fact that there's really nothing there (adds a whole new meaning to the term "airhead"!!!
), the photons that strike that dust grain acts as if they've bounced off a brick wall. Remember....Heisenberg
. Where you get PE, the old electron gets the shaft and booted out of the house