) Thus the total energy E of the electron in a hydrogen atom is
2
2
0
0
8
4
e
e
E
K
U
r
r
ε
ε
=
+
=
−
π
π
                 
2
0
8
e
εr
= −
π
(12 4)
The total energy of the electron is negative This implies the fact that
the electron is bound to the nucleus If E were positive, an electron will
not follow a closed orbit around the nucleus