Orbital Shapes and the Pauli Exclusion Principle
The final page visualizes the shapes of different types of orbitals, including s, p, and d orbitals.
Definition: An orbital contour is the surface of the smallest geometric shape outside of which the probability of finding an electron is negligible.
Diagrams illustrate the three-dimensional shapes of s, px, py, and pz orbitals, helping students visualize the spatial distribution of electrons in atoms.
The page concludes with an explanation of the Pauli exclusion principle, a fundamental concept in quantum mechanics:
Highlight: The Pauli exclusion principle states that no two electrons in an atom can have identical sets of all five quantum numbers.
This principle is crucial for understanding electron configuration and the structure of the periodic table.