Question

What is the shape of a ‘s’ orbital? Draw the diagram.

Answer 1

The wave behaviour of electrons (or electron pairs) in an atom is described by atomic orbitals, which are mathematical functions. They provide a method for calculating the chances of finding an electron in a certain location around the nucleus of an atom.

Complete answer:
An atom, according to the quantum atomic model, can have any number of orbitals. The size, shape, and direction of these orbitals can all be classified. With a smaller orbital, there's a better possibility of getting an electron close to the nucleus. The orbital wave function (or) is a mathematical function that is used to express an electron's coordinates. The likelihood of locating an electron is represented by the square of the orbital wave function.
We may also use this wave function to construct boundary surface diagrams. The form of orbitals can be better understood using boundary surface diagrams of the constant probability density for various orbitals.
Let's use boundary surface diagrams to represent the shapes of orbitals:
The Shape of s-Orbitals:
1. The s orbital boundary surface diagram resembles a sphere with the nucleus at its centre, which can be visualised as a circle in two dimensions.
2. As a result, s-orbitals are spherically symmetric, with the chance of locating the electron at a given distance being the same in all directions.
3. The size of the s orbital is observed to increase as the value of the primary quantum number $\left( n \right)$ increases, resulting in $4s{\text{ }} > {\text{ }}3s > {\text{ }}2s{\text{ }} > {\text{ }}1s$ .

Note:
All s orbitals have spherical symmetry and are shaped spherically. That is, the wave's function will be determined solely by its distance from the nucleus, not its direction. The size of an orbital reduces as the central quantum number of the orbital falls for any particle, but the shape remains spherical.