Question

When you were young you may have had your own theory about why plants are green. Then, as you learned more, you kept ideas that were correct, but replaced ideas that were incorrect. Atomic theory also changed as scientists improved their understanding. What incorrect idea in Bohr’s understanding of the atom was replaced in later theories?

A. Atoms cannot be divided.
B. An atom is mostly empty space.
C. In an atom, electrons orbit the nucleus like planets orbit the sun.
D. An atom includes electrons embedded in a sphere of positive charge.

Answer 1

Bohr's theory suggested electrons orbit the nucleus in fixed paths, which was replaced by the quantum mechanical concept that electrons exist in orbitals as probability clouds rather than fixed orbits. The correct choice of action is C. In an atom, electrons orbit the nucleus like planets orbit the sun.

Step-by-step explanation:

The incorrect idea in Bohr’s understanding of the atom that was replaced in later theories is in an atom, electrons orbit the nucleus like planets orbit the sun. Niels Bohr initially proposed that electrons moved in fixed orbits or well-defined paths around the nucleus. However, his model could not explain the complexities of atoms with more than one electron and did not account for the nature of electron movement as predicted by quantum mechanics.

Quantum mechanics, which succeeded Bohr's model, describes electrons in terms of probability clouds or orbitals rather than fixed paths. It implies that electrons are more accurately represented as waves, with their positions given in terms of probabilities rather than definite orbits. This theory allows for a more complex organization of electrons into shells and subshells that is crucial for understanding the chemical behavior of atoms.