Electron Orbital

Tap it to excite the electron. Pick any orbital up to 4f, or lobes, in the Splash tab.

An electron does not circle the center of an atom like a planet. It spreads out as a cloud, called an orbital, that shows where it is most likely to be found. Orbitals come in set shapes: a ball, a dumbbell, a dumbbell with a ring, and more. The two colors show where the electron's wave is plus and where it is minus, not electric charge.

Pick an orbital from 1s to 4f, as a cloud or as lobes, in the Splash tab. Tap it and a tiny packet of light, a photon, comes in. The electron takes it in, jumps up to a bigger orbital and glows, then drops back with a flash and gives the light out again. This is how glowing gases give off light of their own colors.