Effect On Physics
Configurations of classical charged particles orbiting one another are unstable due to losses of energy by electromagnetic radiation. Even without those losses, Earnshaw’s theorem means that dynamic systems of charges are unstable over long periods. For quite some time, this led to the puzzling question of why matter stays together as much evidence was found that matter was held together electromagnetically.
These questions eventually pointed the way to quantum mechanical explanations of the structure of the atom, and it turns out that the Pauli exclusion principle and the existence of discrete electron orbitals is responsible for making bulk matter rigid.
Read more about this topic: Earnshaw's Theorem
Famous quotes containing the words effect and/or physics:
“As for charity, it is a matter in which the immediate effect on the persons directly concerned, and the ultimate consequence to the general good, are apt to be at complete war with one another.”
—John Stuart Mill (1806–1873)
“It is hardly to be believed how spiritual reflections when mixed with a little physics can hold people’s attention and give them a livelier idea of God than do the often ill-applied examples of his wrath.”
—G.C. (Georg Christoph)