Bohr Emission Spectra
Students excite an electron to a chosen shell and let it relax, watching the emitted photon's wavelength, energy and colour appear together on an energy-level diagram…
Home › Interactives › Physics › Quantum Mechanical Atom
Physics · Quantum & Atomic Physics
3D Atomic Orbitals & Quantum Numbers – Years 11–12
Students browse elements and explore three-dimensional electron probability clouds, changing the quantum numbers n, l and mₗ to see how orbital shapes and orientations arise from the quantum mechanical model of the atom. It supports the move from shell diagrams to orbitals in senior chemistry and physics. The full interactive is available to licensed Education Universe users.
Years 11–12, UndergraduateExplorer
Learning outcomes
- Describe s, p and d orbitals as regions of electron probability.
- Relate the quantum numbers n, l and mₗ to orbital size, shape and orientation.
- Compare the quantum mechanical model with the Bohr model.
Teaching guidance
Start from a shell diagram students already know, then ask what the probability cloud shows that the shell diagram cannot.
Use Quantum Mechanical Atom with your class
Start a free 30-day trial with class codes and progress tracking, or talk to us about your school's licence.
Related interactives
Quantum Spectroscopy Model
Students compare representative emission-line spectra for multiple elements and investigate how discrete atomic energy transitions produce characteristic spectral…
Acceleration Challenge
Mixed questions covering acceleration, deceleration, initial and final velocity, elapsed time and the conceptual difference between speed and acceleration, with worked…
Acceleration Explorer
Students explore initial velocity, final velocity, elapsed time and the resulting acceleration through animated motion paired with a velocity-time graph, comparing…
Acceleration Investigation
A guided investigation using repeated trials to measure the acceleration of a car released from rest on a ramp, comparing the results for different slopes. The full…
Area Under a Velocity–Time Graph Explorer
Students build displacement from the signed area under a velocity–time graph and total distance from the unsigned area, decomposing the shape into rectangles, triangles…
Quantum Mechanical Atom is one of the licensed interactives in The Education Universe. This page describes it; teachers use it in lessons and classes with a licence or the free trial.