The wave model of the atom uses the basic idea of the Bohr model of the atom, where there is a small, dense nucleus surrounded by electrons, but the electrons are represented by a probability distribution, instead of by discrete mathematical points. Thus, they are often described as the "electron cloud."
Standing waves and atomic orbitals Quote: "...Electrons may or may not be particles, depending on when and where we look at them. When physicists tried to explain electron behavior in the atom, the equations - models - turned out to be describing standing waves. These equations - what we call wave functions or better yet, orbitals- had four variables which changed depending on which electron, in which atom you were looking at. These four variables are known as the four quantum numbers....".
The Orbitron a gallery of atomic orbitals and molecular orbitals on the WWW.
Quote: "...Actually, in the H atom both the electron wave-structure and the proton have the same center. The electron's structure can be imagined like an onion - spherical layers of waves around a center. The amplitude of the waves decreases like the blue standing wave in the bottom diagram. There are no point masses - no orbits, just waves..."
