atomic orbital
a mathematical expression describing the probability of finding an electron at various locations; usually represented by the region of space around the nucleus where there is a high probability of finding an electron
photon
a quantam of light, a discrete bundle of electromagnetic energy that interacts with matter similarly to particles
pauli exclusion principle
an atomic orbital may describe at most two electrons, each with opposite spin direction
hund's rule
electrons occupy orbitals of the same energy in a way that makes the number of electrons with the same spin direction as large as possible
electromagnetic radiation
energy waves that travel in a vacuum at a speed of 2.998 X 10^8 m/s; includes radio waves, microwaves, infrared waves, visible light, ultravioleet waves, X-rays, and gamma rays
heisenberg uncertainty principle
it is impossible to know exactly both the velocity and the position of a particle at the same time
quantam
the amount of energy needed to move an electron from one energy level to another
electron configurations
the arrangement of electrons of an atom in its ground state into various orbitals around the nuclei of atoms
wavelength
the distance between adjacent crests of a wave
amplitude
the height of a wave's crest
ground state
the lowest possible energy of an atom described by quantam mechanics
quantam mechanical model
the modern description, primarily mathematical, of the behavior of electrons in atoms
frequency
the number of wave cycles that pass a given point per unit of time
atomic emission spectrum
the pattern formed when light passes through a prism or diffraction grating to separate it into the different frequencies of light it contains
aufbau principle
the rule that electrons occupy the orbitals of lowest energy first
energy levels
the specific energies an electron in an atom or other system can have
hertz
the unit of frequency, equal to one cycle per second
spectrum
wavelengths of visible light that are separated when a beam of light passes through a prism; range of wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation