Question:medium

The Earth revolves around the Sun in an orbit of radius \(1.5 \times 10^{11} \, \text{m}\) with orbital speed \(30 \, \text{km/s}\). Find the quantum number that characterizes its revolution using Bohr’s model in this case (mass of Earth \( = 6.0 \times 10^{24} \, \text{kg}\)).

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Bohr’s model for the quantization of angular momentum helps determine the quantum number for large systems like the Earth by using the formula \( m v r = n \hbar \).
Updated On: Jan 13, 2026
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Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Bohr's model posits that the Earth's orbital angular momentum is quantized, expressed as: \[m v r = n \hbar\] Where: - \( m \) denotes the Earth's mass. - \( v \) represents the orbital velocity. - \( r \) is the orbital radius. - \( n \) is the quantum number. - \( \hbar = \frac{h}{2\pi} \) is the reduced Planck's constant (\( h = 6.626 \times 10^{-34} \, \text{J s} \)). Step 2: The equation can be rearranged to solve for \( n \): \[n = \frac{m v r}{\hbar}\] Step 3: Inputting the provided values: - \( m = 6.0 \times 10^{24} \, \text{kg} \) - \( v = 30 \, \text{km/s} = 3.0 \times 10^4 \, \text{m/s} \) - \( r = 1.5 \times 10^{11} \, \text{m} \) - \( \hbar = 1.055 \times 10^{-34} \, \text{J s} \) The calculation proceeds as: \[n = \frac{(6.0 \times 10^{24}) (3.0 \times 10^4) (1.5 \times 10^{11})}{1.055 \times 10^{-34}}\] \[n = \frac{2.7 \times 10^{40}}{1.055 \times 10^{-34}} = 2.56 \times 10^{74}\] Consequently, the quantum number \( n \) is approximately \( 2.56 \times 10^{74} \).
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