01-26-2008, 05:28 PM
Well - cant help u with the wavelength part - I think that a quantum level view of the atom at that age level is inappropriate, but that is just my opinion. Atoms shrink as u move across the table in a particular period because the nuclear positivity is increasing as u add more protons (+ charges) to the nucleus. Greater nuclear positivity leads to more vigorous attractions for the electrons (- charges) which "shrinks" the atom a tiny bit. There is a lot more to the wavelength part u were talking about - some of it is still under debate in the journals.