Can electrons make quantum leaps between ground zero and energy levels?
Electrons do jump from one quantum level to another. An electron absorbing a photon of the proper energy (wavelength) will jump to a higher-energy quantum level; an electron moving from a high-energy to a low-energy level emits a photon representing the energy lost by the electron. Bohr was essentially correct but oversimplified in that only the size of the electron’s orbit around the nucleus was considered (the electron’s state could be described by a single quantum number). However, scientists now recognize four different quantum numbers for a given electron: 1. Principal quantum number (n) defining the electron’s energy level; Bohr’s original quantum number; 2. Angular quantum number (l) defining the shape of the electron orbital; 3. Magnetic quantum number (m) defining the spatial orientation of the orbital; 4. Spin quantum number (s) differentiating between two paired electrons sharing an orbital. The angular quantum number is a factor in an electron’s energy level, and an electro
