Electron shell configuration

Electron shell configuration table (external link)

Electron shells
 




Electron orbitals


s p d f orbitals stand for "sharp", "principal", "diffuse" and "fundamental" (or "fine") orbitals. Atomic orbital arrangement



Physics vs. Chemistry

While chemistry works with one set of atomic orbitals (s, p, d, f), quantum physics sees electron orbitals, or in better wording "wavefunction states", from a different standpoint. Below is the example of hydrogen wave function (aka probability of finding an electron), both picture and video.


Below is perhaps a fan-art video that depicts the behavior of atomic orbitals and even scales from subatomic particles aka quarks, like gluons and mesons, up to a living cell.