Except they only look like that if there is an external reference system imposing some structure on the atom!
Otherwise all orbitals are basically spherical because they can all just be in a superposition of all possible orbitals and we couldn’t tell a difference…
And then suddenly you have two atoms meeting and need to explain why 1+1=0 for their molecular orbits -.-
Except they only look like that if there is an external reference system imposing some structure on the atom! Otherwise all orbitals are basically spherical because they can all just be in a superposition of all possible orbitals and we couldn’t tell a difference…
And then suddenly you have two atoms meeting and need to explain why 1+1=0 for their molecular orbits -.-