Questions for Focused Reading

January 6

12.8

1.    What is the significance of the square of the wave function?

2.    What is the difference between Figure 12.16 and 12.17?  Which is more useful?

3.    What is the significance of 90% of the total electron probability?

12.9

4.    What do each of the quantum numbers contribute to your understanding of the orbitals?

5.    What is a node?

6.    The following question is often asked by students of chemistry.  "How does an electron get from one side of a node to another?"  Why is this not the right question to ask?  [Hint:  replace the word "electron" with "standing wave"]

12.10

7.    What is the Pauli exclusion principle?