CEM 141 Recitation Week 3 Exam 2025
Questions and Answers
as atoms get closer together and their e- clouds overlap, why does PE rise? - --
CORRECT ANSWER--the electrostatic repulsion between e- means that the
atoms are forced apart, since energy was used to "push" e- together (in the form of
KE) this energy must be stored in the electrostatic field as PE
what forces are present/respective strengths at potential minimum? - --CORRECT
ANSWER--the strength of the attractive forces = the strength of repulsive forces
(allows stable interaction to occur)
what info does the depth of the potential well tell you about the strength of the
interaction? - --CORRECT ANSWER--the deeper the well, the more energy
needed to separate the atoms (deeper well = stronger interaction)
what info can you get from the position of the potential minimum along the x-axis
(distance between atomic nuclei)? - --CORRECT ANSWER--you can determine
the distance between the nuclei when atoms are most stable
why is the potential energy well deeper for Xe rather than Ne? - --CORRECT
ANSWER--Xe has more e-, so it has stronger LDFs
....COPYRIGHT ©️ 2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED...TRUSTED & VERIFIED 1
Questions and Answers
as atoms get closer together and their e- clouds overlap, why does PE rise? - --
CORRECT ANSWER--the electrostatic repulsion between e- means that the
atoms are forced apart, since energy was used to "push" e- together (in the form of
KE) this energy must be stored in the electrostatic field as PE
what forces are present/respective strengths at potential minimum? - --CORRECT
ANSWER--the strength of the attractive forces = the strength of repulsive forces
(allows stable interaction to occur)
what info does the depth of the potential well tell you about the strength of the
interaction? - --CORRECT ANSWER--the deeper the well, the more energy
needed to separate the atoms (deeper well = stronger interaction)
what info can you get from the position of the potential minimum along the x-axis
(distance between atomic nuclei)? - --CORRECT ANSWER--you can determine
the distance between the nuclei when atoms are most stable
why is the potential energy well deeper for Xe rather than Ne? - --CORRECT
ANSWER--Xe has more e-, so it has stronger LDFs
....COPYRIGHT ©️ 2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED...TRUSTED & VERIFIED 1
