An elementary algebraic method for approximating average radii of first and second ring electrons (Q1087315)

The author considers various small atoms. He assumes that if two particles are unpaired the force is coulombic and that if they are paired the mutual force is proportional to \(r^{-2-\alpha}\), \(\alpha >0\) where r is the distance between the particles. \(\alpha\) accounts for effects such as electron spin and magnetic interaction. He writes down the energy due to the mutual interaction of the particles, and equates this to an appropriate ionization energy. From this estimates of the ring sizes can be obtained. It is shown that \(\alpha\) is about 0.03 in all cases. In general the work reports the results of numerical calculations.