What is the difference between the terms orbit and orbital?
Orbit |
Orbital |
Orbits are circular and disc-like. |
Different orbitals have different shapes, i.e. s orbitals are spherically symmetrical, p-orbitals are dumb-bell shaped and so on. |
It represents the planar motion of an electron around the nucleus. |
It represents the three-dimensional motion of an electron around the nucleus. |
Orbit is a well-defined circular path around the nucleus in which the electrons revolve. |
An orbital is a three-dimensional space around the nucleus within which the probability of finding an electron is maximum. |