atom in the ground state
n=1
a: Atom in the ground state ~
b: boulder at the bottom of a hill
What: An analogy may be helpful in understanding this abstract discussion of energy states. An
atom in the ground state is like a boulder at the bottom of a hill: it's very unlikely that it's
going to do anything unless something interacts very strongly with it. Stimulated
absorption is like pushing that boulder up to the top of the hill. It takes energy to get it
there, but it makes it more likely that the boulder will do something-most likely, roll
downhill. The top of the hill is a rather precarious position, so there is a fair likelihood that
the rock will roll down even if we don't push it. This is analogous to spontaneous emission.
Useful?
Writer: Elson Liu
LCC:
Where:
Date: Aug 26 2013 7:19 PM
# 3633 Critique Analogy
METAMIA is a free database of analogy and metaphor. Anyone can contribute or search. The subject matter can be anything. Science is popular, but poetry is encouraged. The goal is to integrate our fluid muses with the stark literalism of a relational database. Metamia is like a girdle for your muses, a cognitive girdle.