One of the most important distinctions that moved the atomic model beyond Bohr's atomic model was defining exactly what an electron was. At first, it was assumed that if an electron carried a charge, then it must have mass and therefore must be a particle. And this is true. But other experimental data collected confirmed that the electron also exhibited behaviors of a wave, like light!
So, how does this impact upon describing the location and path of an electron? If we now know that an electron has an oscillating path defined by a wave-function, we begin to appreciate how complex the movement of each electron can get as it 1) runs in its own oscillating path, 2) feels the repulsive force from other electrons, 3) feels the attractive force from the protons.
Determining the orbits and locations of such minute particles reveals that locating an electron at any point in time is an impossibility. Erwin Schrodinger, after Louis deBroglie’s significant discovery of the electron’s dual nature as particle and wave, further defined the “orbital shells” as "probability-of-location clouds." Each shell is defined by energy level and further divided into “sub-shells,” shown in the graphic as 2s and 2p in Schrodinger's model. But it was becoming quite clear that a one-dimensional concentric planetary tracks (as in Bohr's model) were not sufficient to describe an electron’s position/path of the dual nature of an electron.
So, how does this impact upon describing the location and path of an electron? If we now know that an electron has an oscillating path defined by a wave-function, we begin to appreciate how complex the movement of each electron can get as it 1) runs in its own oscillating path, 2) feels the repulsive force from other electrons, 3) feels the attractive force from the protons.
Determining the orbits and locations of such minute particles reveals that locating an electron at any point in time is an impossibility. Erwin Schrodinger, after Louis deBroglie’s significant discovery of the electron’s dual nature as particle and wave, further defined the “orbital shells” as "probability-of-location clouds." Each shell is defined by energy level and further divided into “sub-shells,” shown in the graphic as 2s and 2p in Schrodinger's model. But it was becoming quite clear that a one-dimensional concentric planetary tracks (as in Bohr's model) were not sufficient to describe an electron’s position/path of the dual nature of an electron.
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