Q. Quantum Mechanical Model of the Atom?
Ans: Using quantum mechanics, scientists realized that the exact location of an electron could not be determined. Instead, only the probability of an electron being in a given region at a given time could be calculated. The Quantum Mechanical model of the atom does not define the exact path of an electron. Instead, it shows the probability of finding an electron in a cloud of negative charge.
Using the results of these quantum mechanical calculations, we can express the location of any electron using a set of numbers called quantum numbers. Every electron within an atom has a unique set of quantum numbers denoting the probable location around the nucleus where that electron will be found. Just as you have an address consisting of a state, city, street, and street number that describes where you live, each electron has a set of four quantum numbers that describes where it "lives." After we discuss orbitals in the next section, we will discuss each of these quantum numbers and show how they are used to describe the most probable location of an electron at any given time.