What determines the energy level of an electron in an atom?

In summary, the energy level of an electron is decided by the pattern of charges surrounding it. Different energy states correspond directly to different charge distributions, because this charge distribution is basically a description of the electron's entire 'pattern of motion'.
  • #1
sinjan.j
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My textbook says that, the energy level of an electron is decided by the pattern of charges surrounding it.

Can anybody explain how. Simple language please, I'm in 12th grade. Kindly provide example, if possible. Thank you.
 
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  • #2
Well, I can try. Bear in mind, the exact details of describing the state of an electron in an atom requires quantum mechanics (if you know a bit about the history here, you might know that describing electrons in atoms was in fact the physics problem that gave rise to QM in the first place).

Now, quantum mechanics dictates a couple of important things here: 1) The electrons in the atom can't be stationary; they must always be "in motion" 2) They can only occupy specific energy levels, which correspond to what you could consider 'stable patterns of motion', or in physics jargon 'stationary states' (meaning the state itself doesn't change over time, not that the electron is stationary). 3) Only two electrons can occupy any such state at a time.


Now in classical mechanics, a stable pattern of motion would be something like an orbit of a planet around a star. In quantum mechanics it doesn't work that way, because quantum objects don't have definite locations, and don't follow definite 'trajectories'. The state or what I called 'pattern of motion' doesn't actually look like a circular orbit. What you have instead is a pattern that tells you the probability of where you're likely to find the electron. We call that an 'orbital' (to distinguish it from a classical orbit). That pattern tells you what the charge density around the atom (coming from that electron) looks like.

Different energies of the electron mean it's occupying different orbitals, and so its charge density pattern around the atom looks different. They look like http://chemlinks.beloit.edu/Stars/images/orbitals.jpg" [Broken]. Different energy states correspond directly to different charge distributions, because this charge distribution is basically a description of the electron's entire 'pattern of motion'.
 
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1. What is the energy level of an electron?

The energy level of an electron refers to the amount of energy that an electron possesses while orbiting around the nucleus of an atom.

2. How is the energy level of an electron determined?

The energy level of an electron is determined by the distance between the electron and the nucleus, as well as the number of protons in the nucleus. The further an electron is from the nucleus, the higher its energy level will be.

3. What is the relationship between energy level and electron stability?

The higher the energy level of an electron, the less stable it is. Electrons in lower energy levels are more tightly bound to the nucleus and are therefore more stable.

4. Can an electron change its energy level?

Yes, electrons can change their energy level by absorbing or releasing energy. This can occur through various processes such as absorbing or emitting photons of light, or through interactions with other particles.

5. How many energy levels does an atom have?

The number of energy levels an atom has depends on the number of electrons it has. Each atom can have a maximum of 7 energy levels, with the first energy level holding a maximum of 2 electrons, the second holding a maximum of 8, and so on.

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