Question

What is the problem with a solar system model of the atom ?

Answer 1

Hint:Atoms are the fundamental building blocks of all matter. Protons, electrons, and neutrons are the elements that make up an atom. The protons and neutrons are crammed into the nucleus of the atom, while the electrons, which are much smaller, orbit around the outside. The majority of an atom is made up of free space.

Complete answer:
The “solar system” model represents an atom as a massive positive body which is the nucleus (like the sun in the solar system) with negative entities which are the electrons (like the planets in the solar system) orbiting around it.

The concern about this model is that electrons are charged particles that have centripetal acceleration while travelling in a circle. Even if they travel at the same velocity in modulus, the trajectory of that velocity varies with time, resulting in centripetal acceleration. An accelerated charge which is an electron, will then emit energy as electromagnetic radiation. This will result in the loss of energy, which causes the accelerated charge to fall inside the nucleus. However, this fails to happen.

Thus, the solar system model of the atom was not accepted.

Note: Over a long period of time, the structure of atoms had been developed. There are five main models of the atom:
-Dalton’s model of the atom
-Thomson’s model of the atom
-Rutherford’s model of the atom
-Bohr’s model of the atom
-Electron cloud model or Quantum mechanics model of the atom