Skip to content
World 1 · Hydrogen without planetary orbits · 9 min

A spherical node

Teaching this? Open projector mode

For 2s, the radial wavefunction changes sign at r = 2a₀, where the probability density is zero. This spherical node separates an inner and an outer region. In general a hydrogen orbital has n−l−1 radial nodes and l angular nodes. The slice colours show sign; brightness shows density relative to that slice’s maximum.

Loading 3D lab…
Check yourself

How many radial nodes does 2s have?

0 of 2 required activities complete. Finish each task and quiz.Next lesson →

Report a mistake

What is wrong?
0 / 2000 · at least 10 characters
Sent along with your report
  • Page
  • About A spherical node — Quantum Lab · quantum/radial
Plus your browser type. Reports go to our support system; see the privacy notice.