Talk:Wave model

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).

For a January 2005 deletion debate over this page see Wikipedia:Votes for deletion/Wave model

Sorry to say this, but this page is at best redundant and at worst misleading. To begin with: There is no single 'wave model' of the atom, if by that you mean a quantum physical model, there are a whole bunch of models. It is wrong to portray these as some kind of successor to the Bohr model, since the Schrödinger equation can be applied to any physical system, not just atoms. Also, the approaches are rather similar regardless of physical system.

What is meant by model of an atom? In the study of atoms/molecules only the electrons are considered, with the nucleus being treated as an infinitely small point charge, since it has virtually no effect on the orbital electrons, except for its charge. And the study of the atomic nucleus, in nuclear physics, usually ignores the electrons for the same reason.

As for the Quantum Physical model of the atom, there are both non-relativistic (Schrödinger equation) and relativistic (Dirac equation) models, as well as Density Functional Theory, which does not deal with the Schrödinger equation itself but a reformulation of it in electron density terms. The Schrödinger equation cannot be solved analytically/exactly for anything other than the hydrogenic atom (single electron atom with any nuclear charge). So there are a number of models using different approximations and approaches to numerically calculate the wave equation of the electrons. (NOT the probability. However, the probability density can be calculated directly from a given wave function, as it is the square of the wave function.)

This article is trying to reduce an entire field of study to a single 'model'. It's confusing and inaccurate. See the entries on Computational chemistry, Quantum chemistry, Hartree-Fock, Atomic orbitals, molecular orbital theory and so on.

You're quite right. Redirected to the article on the field, i.e. quantum chemistry -- Tim Starling 02:45, Jun 12, 2005 (UTC)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../w/a/v/Talk%7EWave_model_9e89.html"