If you’re on a Windows-based computer, go to the Start menu, scroll up to Programs, scroll over to (probably) Accessories, then System Tools, and pick Character Map. You can find that particular character under most fonts. I think the Symbol font will be useful as well.
Or you could cheat and just copy + paste from Wikipedia. I’m not saying which one I did though.
A duck just broke into my refrigerator and ate all of my pickles.
I would report him to the head of the science department or to whomever the hell he answers. I had assholes like him in college, though they are usually in the Philosophy department (IMHO) and death is too good for them. Is he a full professor or just a teaching assistant? That problem is so far over my head (although I heard the word angstrom once) that I cannot tell if this is a grad course or what. Anyway, see if you can get him fired before he gets tenure.
Hold down the ALT key, type the number “143” on your number pad, and then release the ALT key:
Å
Here is the extended ASCII table, where the number to the left of each symbol tells you what to type while holding ALT. It lets me do cool stuff like this:
V(r) = Ze² / 4π (8.854 * 10[sup]-12[/sup]) * r
{for r measured in Å}
Did he leave all your gold protons?
And count them. If he didn’t leave an enormous number, it’s duck season.
But you’re not bitter or anything, right?
I think everyone has had professors (multiple) who think they’re descended from the Sphinx, so their answers must be as cryptic as possible. The answers are there, but you must have the brain of a fictional detective to suss it out.
They’ll be the first up against the wall when the revolution comes. Them and Financial Aid, but that’s an entirely different rant.
Robin
Oopsie, I didn’t notice the negative signs!
So then, that explains why (e) is the right answer, right?
I still am hoping to find a way to make your prof’s email relevant and helpful. I’m not completely clear on the concept of potential energy, though, so I can’t be much help there. As things get more separated, do they gain or lose potential energy? As things’ charges increase, does this change the potential energy involved? I’m trying to figure out whether the large charge of a Gold atom somehow swamps all other effects such that it is natural to realize it and the electron would have the least potential energy or something.
-FrL-
[QUOTE=Nava]
“smaller” does not mean “closer to minus infinity”.
His post used “smaller” to mean “closer to zero,” i.e., “having a lesser absolute value.”
Later in the post, he used “bigger” to mean “greater than,” (“less negative”) as opposed to “having a greater absolute value.”
He never used “smaller” to mean “closer to minus infinity.”
-FrL-
Ok - if my understanding of electron potentials is correct (and at this point, it had damn well better be), I think that as things get farther apart, their potential energies go to zero (because they dont interact at great distances). But they approach zero from different directions - if the two charges are of like charge, they approach zero from the positive end, and their potential energy decreases with increasing distance. If the two particles are of opposite charge, they approach zero from underneath, and their potential energy gets bigger (less negative) as they get farther apart.
I dont think the numbers and signs have much to do with real life (or at least, real life on a non-quantum scale). Basically if a system has negative potential energy, the attraction between the particles is such that they are going to start hanging around together and be bonded, and if the system has positive electron energy, they are not going to be bonded together.
But it’s confusing - the closer your electron gets to the nucleus, the less potential energy it has, but the faster it moves. Which I find weird, because I would equate less energy with being sluggish and lazy, but it seems everything is weird down there, so who knows?
But anyway, if (e) is indeed the least potential energy, and as it involves the greatest charge over the greatest distance, that would mean that the greater charge ends up trumping distance, because it’s potential energy is less.
Thank you Frylock and everybody else for your help! It helps me think about this stuff to try and explain it, and despite my professor’s seeming determination to keep chemistry to himself, I love this stuff, and think it’s interesting to think about.
And Jurph - I cant get my computer to type all those ASCII things - would it make a difference if I have a MacBook (which means it is (a) a worthless computer to begin with and (b) lacking in a numberpad?)
On the plus side - as I have the Best Schedule of Classes Ever, my exam isnt until 6 pm, which means I went to sleep without having to set my alarm, woke at my own leisure, and still have 5+ hours to study before it’s Go Time.
love
yams!!
[QUOTE=Frylock]
Wait wait wait - Nava is a guy??
Or by “he” do you mean me? Because, unless a duck broke into my pants last night and stole my penis, I am definitely a girl.
love
yams!!
[QUOTE=yams!!]
I meant you.
And talking about a duck stealing your penis is a very strange way to establish your identity as a female!
-FrL-
I’ll never be able to look at a gold coin again without thinking of it as “protonous”.
I once had a similar situation, with a similarly detailed question.
The response, verbatim: “IDK LOL”
This sounds like it should be an Abbot & Costello routine…
and you must Groucho Marx.
I take a photo of a pumpkin balanced on a saw horse, and then scale down the image to 10x10 pixels. Then applying a combination of posterize, gaussian blur, sharpen, lens flare, and unsharpen in your favorite graphics application gets you the classic angstrom symbol.
Okay. What?
-FrL-
Electrons aren’t people, they all work equally as hard.
No, the appropriate question is “Why a duck?” 