Chemistry / Unit 5 Chem 0819 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Orbit Versus Orbital
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The idea
An orbit is a fixed path, Bohr's term; an orbital is a probability region with no fixed path, used by the quantum model.
In practice
Textbooks describe hydrogen's electron as occupying the 1s orbital, never the 1s "orbit," once the quantum model replaces Bohr's picture.
Where people slip
Using "orbit" and "orbital" interchangeably imports Bohr's fixed-path picture into a model that replaced it with probability.
Your place on the trail
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