What's the difference between an electron orbital and energy level?

Question

What's the difference between an electron orbital and energy level?

Answer 1

each electron is circulating around the nucleus at a specific orbit held in place by the bonding energy, if the electron got disturbed and jump from one orbit to another, it will either absorb or release energy.

there are higher energy in innermost orbits than outer orbits. example when current going through the tungsten filament light bulb, the electrons get excited and jump from outer orbit into inner orbit, thus light energy is emitted. each electron has the following energy

E = ( - 13.61)( Z ^ 2 ) / ( n ^ 2 )

E = energy eV

Z = atomic no. see periodic table

n = quantum no. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc

example He, Z = 2 in an orbit n = 1 it has the following energy

E = ( - 13.61)( 2 ^ 2 ) / ( 1 ^ 2 )

E = - 54.4 eV

    

Answer 2

According to the Bohr model, which is outdated but still useful for this question, an electron must be in orbit at a given distance from the nucleus of an atom because of the electron's energy.  That is, the energy level sets the orbital distance.

Higher energy electrons are in closer orbits, lower energy electrons are in farther away orbits.  Here's why...

The centripetal force P = kq^2/r^2 = mv^2/r = C the centrifugal force that offsets P to keep the electron of q charge and m mass in orbit at radius r.  We can rewrite the equation as  1/2 kq^2/r = 1/2 mv^2 = KE; where KE is the kinetic energy of the electron in orbit at r distance.

So there you are.  As the rewritten equation shows, when r gets smaller, meaning the orbit is closer to the nucleus, the kinetic energy must go up to maintain the equals.  That is, higher energy electrons are closer; lower energy electron are farther out.

[The Bohr model, which is the planetary type model, has long been replaced by the quantum model for explaining electrons around their nucleus.  In the quantum model, the electrons flit about in all directions with something called quantum jitter.  However, according to their energy levels, they have higher probabilities of being located at some distance r from the nucleus than at other distances.  And that r depends on the energy level just like r did in the Bohr model.]

Answer 3

This is a simple question.

You need to read your text books.

I am sure the answer is waiting for you.