The Helium-4 Atom
The helium atom is the second simplest atom (hydrogen is the simplest), but the extra electron introduces a third "body", so that solution to its wave equation becomes a "three body problem", which has no analytic solution. However, numerical approximations of the equations of quantum mechanics have given a good estimate of the key atomic properties of helium-4, such as its size and ionization energy.
Read more about this topic: Helium-4
Famous quotes containing the word atom:
“One year, Id completely lost my bearings trying to follow potty training instruction from a psychiatric expert. I was stuck on step on, which stated without an atom of irony: Before you begin, remove all stubbornness from the child. . . . I knew it only could have been written by someone whose suit coat was still spotless at the end of the day, not someone who had any hands-on experience with an actual two-year-old.”
—Mary Kay Blakely (20th century)