Quantum Number Definition and Chemistry

Quantum Number Definition and ChemistryThe first question that must be asked when dealing with the 'quantum number definition' is: What is a quantum? An experimenter will sometimes ask me if something is 'quantum' because the behavior of it appears to be unusual. This is most likely because the experimenter may not have been thinking clearly, or perhaps she did not understand the meaning of quantum. Let us take a deeper look at what the term means and how it applies to quantum numbers.The most common meaning of the term 'quantum' is a random occurrence. In the case of an atom, for example, each of its electrons in orbit may be subject to random chance. While all atoms have this property, the quantum number of these atoms will be different from that of others.If an atom was not being subject to random chance, then it would have a certain number of electrons, and it would be considered to be a 'quantum' atom. These atoms are unique, and the properties of these atoms cannot be duplicate d by other atoms. When an experimenter uses a filter to measure one of these atoms, he or she will be receiving a very accurate measurement.There is a second possibility as to why some random particles behave strangely. The second possibility is that something may be 'non-random.' In this case, something could be non-random because it has been programmed to behave like a non-random pattern. We might call such a behavior randomness.Let us explore the idea of non-randomness in more detail, and consider a strong correlation between quantum number and randomness. Suppose we make a list of all the possible outcomes of a situation, and we try to quantify the amount of randomness that each outcome would display. It might seem that any randomness would be shown, but what we are really considering is the amount of randomness that is exhibited by atoms.With the same argument, we can also quantify the amount of randomness that a different quantum number would display. By doing so, we might con clude that there are four separate conditions that must be present for quantum numbers to exhibit randomness.So, when we see a number displayed on a plate that shows two electrons, we should ask: Do these two electrons happen to be located in the exact same place, or do they happen to be located in different places at the same time? Is it truly random? Or, is it truly random because the quantum number (the number of electrons) is independent of any physical object (so that the measurement is done on one electron is not affected by the measurement done on the next electron)?In summary, there is no way to answer this question, because there is no laboratory test that can completely isolate the experimenter's brain from quantum elements. It is simply too difficult, and we must continue to use models and simple equations to keep the phenomenon from influencing the experimenter's mind.