Question

I'm new to quantum physics, but as far as I've understood, electron orbitals are defined as the region where an electron has a 90% probability to be. Unless I'm wrong, every point has some probability for an electron to be there, so why did we choose the points as they are, and not in a different way with a different shape made up of a different set of points that also encompasses a 90% probability of an electron being there?

Answer 1

An electron orbital is defined as the region in space where there is a high probability of finding an electron. The shape and arrangement of the points within the orbital are determined by the mathematics of quantum mechanics. Different orbitals have different shapes and arrangements of points.

Step-by-step explanation:

An electron orbital is defined as the region in space where there is a high probability (usually 90%) of finding an electron. The shape of the orbital is determined by the mathematics of quantum mechanics and is derived from wave functions. The points within the orbital represent the locations where electrons are most likely to be found. These points are chosen based on the probability distribution calculated from the wave function.

While every point in space has some probability for an electron to be there, the specific shape and arrangement of the points in the orbital are determined by the mathematics of quantum mechanics. Different orbitals have different shapes and arrangements of points, which correspond to the different probabilities of finding an electron in those regions.