Vocab Flashcards
Atomic Emission Spectrum
The pattern formed when light passes through a prism of diffraction grating to separate it into the different frequencies of light it contains
Amplitude
The height of wave’s crests
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 high probability of finding an electron
Aufbau Principle
The rule that electrons carry occupy the orbitals of lowest energy first
Electromagnetic Radiation
Energy waves that travel in a vacuum at a speed of 2.998x10 to the eight power m/s; includes radio waves, microwaves, infrared waves, visible waves, ultraviolet waves, X-rays, and gamma rays
Electron Configurations
The arrangement of electrons of an atom in its ground state into various orbitals around the nuclei of atoms
Energy Levels
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 each other
Ground State
The lowest possible energy of an atom described by quantum mechanics
Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle
It is impossible to know exactly both the velocity and the position of a particle at the same time
Hertz
The unit of frequency, equal to one cycle per second
Hund’s Rule
Electrons occupy orbitals of the same energy in a way to makes the number or electrons with the same spin direction as large as possible
Pauli Exclusion Principle
An atomic orbital may describe at most two electrons, each with 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
