Probability

Electrons are pesky - they can move and predicting the future behavior of any single electron or simultaneously assessing its position and momentum is precluded due to Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle. But, probability can dictate where one should look if, for some reason, one had to find an electron at home. From the data Physical Science gathered, it should be clear that the first place to look is near the nucleus in the first energy level. There is a greater chance of finding an electron there than in any other location. The next most probable location is in the second energy level and the probability diminishes the further and further you get from the nucleus. So, take hydrogen: it has one lonely electron. If you had to capture that electron to sell to the circus, looking close to the nucleus would be your best bet. It would not be the best use of time and resources to set your traps beyond that first energy level.

Does that mean that the electron can't be in a 2nd or 3rd level? Not at all, and with an influx of energy that will happen. However, it is far more probable that ol' lonely will hover close to the nucleus. If you consider what we discussed with potential energy and where high and low potential energies exist for unlike charges, you might get an inkling of why this pattern occurs. For your other combination - different die, two dice thrown at once, a larger die - the first energy level should still have been the most likely in which to find an electron. However, it is completely possible that one of your experiments yielded a different result - the 2nd or 3rd being most probable. That's why this is probability, not certainty...

Honors Physics and Physics continue on with their lab unit. Most every group has completed their Newton's 2nd Law of Motion experiment with the expected result that a graph of force versus mass will yield a linear relationship with acceleration as the slope of the line. One group started today and the rest will start tomorrow the Atwood's Machine experiment - another look at Newton's 2nd Law of Motion. It pays to read over the procedure in advance, as this one requires a little bit of setup and some preliminary thought as to how to configure the masses for each trial.