How does electromagnetism hold atoms together?
Quick Answer
Electromagnetism binds negatively charged electrons to positively charged nuclei. In atoms, this force is described by quantum mechanics rather than by simple planetary-style orbits.
The Full Story
Electromagnetism holds atoms together because opposite electric charges attract. The negatively charged electrons are bound to the positively charged nucleus through the electromagnetic force, which is carried by photons in quantum theory. Quantum mechanics explains that electrons occupy orbitals, not fixed classical paths, and these allowed states determine an atom’s size and chemistry. The same force also governs chemical bonds between atoms, making it responsible for matter, light, electricity, and magnetism. Maxell’s equations, completed in the 1860s, unified electric and magnetic phenomena into one framework.
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