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rowbuddy
11-03-2003, 09:09 PM
What is the probability that an electron will quantum tunnel through the gravitational potential of the Earth to the gravitational potential of Mars?

some one asked me that and i need to know... (i have NO idea what to do to get that:confused: ) please help:rolleyes:

nick
MantisMag
11-03-2003, 09:40 PM
very small...
Restola
11-03-2003, 10:17 PM
what the heck physics class are you taking?

I'm pretty much through the our general LER physics 2 and we haven't gotten within 10 miles of crap like that.
gimp
11-03-2003, 10:50 PM
Going on intuition, I'd have to say very low. The probability that an electron will tunnel through any barrier is very small. When your thinking of the different values in gravitational energy for the earth and mars. That seems like it would be a lot more than the average energy on the quantum level. I havn't taken physics for a while, but I remember a few of the graphs. I might be way off. I'm pretty sure you can just plug and chug the numbers and it's pretty simple, mathmatically. It's just the theory part thats tricky. Find a good physics book and look for some formulas. I could find the email address of my old proffessor. He'd know. The guy is wicked old. He actually had Einstein teach some lectures while he was in grad school.
MantisMag
11-03-2003, 11:15 PM
it kinda depends on if you have to account for physical obstructions. however assuming there isn't then it's a simple matter of figuring out the distance at which the gravitational force of mars is greater than that of earth. then figure out the probability of an electron spontaneously jumping across that amount of space. very very very small.

on a side note since gimp mentioned einstein. einstein actually hated the idea of quantum physics. he had several pen-pal arguments with prominent quantum physicists back before there was such a thing as quantum physics. he thought everything should be solid and discrete. none of this moving around as probability waves stuff.
gimp
11-03-2003, 11:36 PM
I dont think the question is asking the probability that the electron will jump from earth to mars. I think it's asking the probability that the electron will jump between the two different energy states.