ATOMICORBITAL

Atomic orbital

An atomic orbital is a mathematical function that describes the wave-like behavior of either one electron or a pair of electrons in an atom. This function can be used to calculate the probability of finding any electron of an atom in any specific region around the atom's nucleus. The term may also refer to the physical region or space where the electron can be calculated to be present, as defined by the particular mathematical form of the orbital.

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atomic orbital

Noun

  1. The quantum mechanical behaviour of an electron in an atom describing the probability of the electron's particular position and energy.
  2. A particular atomic orbital associated with a given set of quantum numbers.


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: atomic orbital
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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