Atomic Electron Quantum Numbers Overview

Physics
[caption id="attachment_6527" align="alignright" width="440"] 3d(yz) Orbital[/caption] Physicists and physical chemists speak of the four quantum numbers for each one of an atom's electrons: n, l, m, and s. Each of these variables incorporates specific characteristics of any electron orbital. The four quantum numbers are as follows: n: principal quantum number l: angular quantum number m: magnetic quantum number s: spin quantum number The Quantum Numbers: Here's "n" There is good reason to list the numbers in this order. The principal number n tells us an orbital's size. An increase in n moves an electron farther from the nucleus. This move takes energy, just as it takes energy to lift a person under the influence of gravity. Therefore n can be taken to be the energy quantum number. Here's "l" The…
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Temperature Different from Heat?

Physics
[caption id="attachment_5975" align="alignright" width="440"] Thermometer - Image: CDC[/caption] Is temperature different from heat? Yes, even though the two are related. Atoms or molecules, whether of a solid, a liquid, or a gas, vibrate. They may also rotate. They may even move through space. This latter form of motion is called translation. Atoms consist of protons and neutrons in a central core called a nucleus. The nucleus is orbited by one or more electrons. These electrons are called bound electrons, to distinguish them from free moving, unassociated, non-orbiting, electrons. Atoms + Energy Energize atoms and their vibrations, rotations, and translations are almost certain to alter. Exactly what happens depends on the way in which the energy is supplied and the way in which it is absorbed. The greater the atomic or…
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