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Electronic Structure: Electron Spin definitions

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  • Orbital
    A region within an atom where up to two electrons with opposite spins are likely to be found.
  • Electron Spin
    A property describing the rotational direction of an electron within an atomic orbital, represented as up or down.
  • Pauli Exclusion Principle
    A rule stating that no two electrons in the same orbital can have identical spins.
  • Spin Up
    A state where an electron's spin value is +1/2, depicted by an upward arrow and associated with clockwise rotation.
  • Spin Down
    A state where an electron's spin value is -1/2, shown by a downward arrow and linked to counterclockwise rotation.
  • Electron Spin Value
    A quantum number assigned as +1/2 or -1/2 to indicate the direction of an electron's spin.
  • Clockwise Spin
    A rotational direction associated with a spin value of +1/2, typically represented by an upward arrow.
  • Counterclockwise Spin
    A rotational direction associated with a spin value of -1/2, typically represented by a downward arrow.
  • Opposite Spins
    A requirement for two electrons in the same orbital to have different spin directions, one up and one down.
  • Arrow Representation
    A visual method using up and down arrows to indicate the spin direction of electrons in orbitals.
  • Atomic Orbital
    A space around the nucleus where electrons with specific spins are likely to be located.
  • Quantum Number
    A value, such as +1/2 or -1/2, used to describe the spin state of an electron.