Chapter 5 Vocab Flashcards
Atomic emission spectrum
A pattern formed when light passes through a prism of diffraction grating to separate it into different frequencies of light it contains
Amplitude
The height of a waves crest
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.
Aufbau principle
The rule that electrons occupy the orbitals of the lowest energy first
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, ultraviolet waves, x-rays and gamma rays
Electron configurations
The arrangement of electrons of an atom in it’s ground state into various orbitals around the nuclei of atoms
Energy level
The specific energies an electron in an atom or other system can have
Frequency
The number of wave cycles that pass a given point per unit of time; frequency and wavelength are inversely proportional to one another
Ground state
The lowest possible energy of an atom described by quantum mechanics
Heisenberg uncertainty principal
It is impossible to know exactly both the velocity and position of a particle at the same time
Hertz
Unit of frequency, equal to one cycle per second
Hunds rule
Electrons occupy orbitals of the same energy in a way that makes the same number or electrons with the same spin direction as large as possible
Pauli expression principal
An atomic orbital may describe at most two electrons, each with an opposite spin direction
Photons
A quantum of light; a discrete bundle of electromagnetic energy that interacts with matter similarly to particles
Quantum
The amount of energy needed to move an electron from one energy level to another
