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Name:
Date:

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Predicting the Probable Location of an Electron

Objective:
Describe how it is likely to find the electron in an atom by probability.
Materials:
One sheet of short bond paper or half of a short folder
pencil or colored marker with small tip
compass
graphing paper
one-foot ruler
Procedure:
1. Working with your group mates, draw a dot on the center of the sheet of paper or folder.
2. Draw 5 concentric circles around the dot so that the radius of each circle is 1.0 cm, 3 cm,
5 cm, 7 cm and 9 cm from the dot.

3. Tape the paper on the floor so that it will not move.

4. Stand on the opposite side of the target from your partner.(Target is the center which
represent the nucleus of an atom). Hold a pencil or marker at chest level above the center
of the circles you have drawn.
5. Take turns dropping the pencil or marker so that it will leave 100 dots on the circles
drawn on paper or folder.
6. Count the number of dots in each circle and record that number on the data table.

7. Calculate the number of dots per square centimeter (cm2).

8. Using a graphing paper, plot the average distance from the center on the x-axis and
number of dots per sq.cm on the y-axis.
Data Table:
Circle
Average
Number
Distance
from
Center, cm.
(A)
1
2
3
4
5

(B)
1.0
3.0
5.0
7.0
9.0

Area
of Difference
Number of Number of
2
Circle, cm . of the Two Dots
in Dots
per
Consecutiv Circle
cm2.
e Circles,
E/D
2
cm .
(C)
(D)
(E)
(F)
3.14
25.13
5
0.1920

Percent
Probability
of Finding
dots, %.
(G)
19.20

Guide Questions:(write your answer on the back portion of this paper)

1. What happens to the number of dots per unit area as the distance of the dots go farther
from the center?
2. Determine the percent probability of finding a dot in each of the circle drawn on the
target by multiplying No. of dots /cm2 (column D) by the total number of dots (100). For
example: In circle 1(A)
Percent probability
= No. of dots /cm2 x 100%
= [0.1920] x 100% = 19.20%
3. Based on your graph, what is the distance with the highest probability of finding a dot?
Show this in your graph.
4. How many dots are found in the area where there is highest probability of finding dots?
5. How are your results similar to the distribution of electrons in an atom?

Score:

Name:
Date:

Grade & Section: