How do electrons have mass but no spatial extent?

[StringJunky]

And is the Higgs mechanism part of electrons?

[studiot]

Quote

How do electrons have mass but no spatial extent?

Well the size of the electron depends upon what model you are using and what you are going to do with it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_electron_radius

If your model is one dimensional (as is used for many purposes) then obviously it has no volume.

Often the application is such that the region of space you are operating in is vast compared to the size of the electron so it can be considered a point particle.

Different models come up with different sizes depending upon the interaction.

But if you are considering a quantum solution then the wave function must (theoretically) be summed over all space and extends over that, although there may be a 'concentration, in one part of it as in an atomic orbital.

 

Someone else will have to answer about Higgs.

 

Does this help?

 

 

[swansont]

The classical electron radius gives a conveniently-sized constant to use in certain calculations, similar to how one uses an astronomical unit for a solar-system-sized length scale. But it does not represent the physical size of an electron.

[Strange]

50 minutes ago, StringJunky said:

And is the Higgs mechanism part of electrons?

Yes, it is the Higgs mechanism that gives electrons their mass.

[StringJunky]

12 minutes ago, studiot said:

Well the size of the electron depends upon what model you are using and what you are going to do with it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_electron_radius

If your model is one dimensional (as is used for many purposes) then obviously it has no volume.

Often the application is such that the region of space you are operating in is vast compared to the size of the electron so it can be considered a point particle.

Different models come up with different sizes depending upon the interaction.

But if you are considering a quantum solution then the wave function must (theoretically) be summed over all space and extends over that, although there may be a 'concentration, in one part of it as in an atomic orbital.

 

Someone else will have to answer about Higgs.

 

Does this help?

 

 

Cheers. I didn't think it was going to have a nice tidy answer. So it's model dependent.

9 minutes ago, swansont said:

The classical electron radius gives a conveniently-sized constant to use in certain calculations, similar to how one uses an astronomical unit for a solar-system-sized length scale. But it does not represent the physical size of an electron.

Cheers.

 

4 minutes ago, Strange said:

Yes, it is the Higgs mechanism that gives electrons their mass.

Cheers. I thought it might.