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Quantum Wonders card QTM-05, Electron Clouds, with a glowing paper-cut illustration. It reads: Electrons don’t circle the nucleus like planets. They spread out in clouds that show where they are likely to be found.

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Electron Clouds

What’s going on

The picture of electrons orbiting like planets was a useful first step, but it is wrong in detail. Quantum theory describes each electron with an orbital: a 3D shape showing how likely you are to find the electron in each place if you look. Orbitals come as spheres, dumbbells and more complex shapes. Chemists use them to predict how atoms join into molecules.

Myth

The cloud is a blur made by an electron racing around a track.

Fact

An electron in an atom has no definite track at all.

Learn more

OpenStax Chemistry 2e, §6.3 “Development of Quantum Theory”.

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QTM-05 from Quantum Wonders, free quantum physics cards for ages 10 to adult

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All 18 Quantum Wonders cards

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