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The article on magnetism
Magnetism

In physics, magnetism is one of the phenomena by which materials exert attractive or repulsive forces on other materials. Some well-known materials that exhibit easily detectable magnetic properties are nickel, iron, cobalt, and their alloys; however, all materials are influenced to greater or lesser degree by the presence of a magnetic fiel...
 states that the physical cause of an atomic magnetic dipole (or moment) is two kinds of movement of electrons.

This article clarifies that electrons don’t actually move in their orbitals. When quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics

Quantum mechanics is a set of principles underlying the most fundamental known description of all physical systems at the microscopic scale . Notable amongst these principles are both a dual wave-like and particle-like behavior of matter and radiation, and prediction of probabilities in situations where classical physics predicts certaintie...
 refer to “electron orbital motion” they are actually referring to the spatial wave function of the electron.

Just as spin
Spin (physics)

In quantum mechanics, spin is a fundamental property of atomic nucleus, hadrons, and elementary particles. For particles with non-zero spin, spin direction is an important intrinsic degrees of freedom ....
 doesn’t mean the particle is actually spinning around an axis in the classical sense, orbital motion doesn’t mean the particle is revolving around the nucleus
Atomic nucleus

The nucleus of an atom is the very dense region, consisting of nucleons , at the center of an atom. Although the size of the nucleus varies considerably according to the mass of the atom, the size of the entire atom is comparatively constant....
 in the sense of the Bohr model
Bohr model

In atomic physics, the Bohr model created by Niels Bohr depicts the atom as a small, positively charged atomic nucleus surrounded by electrons that travel in circular orbits around the nucleus—similar in structure to the solar system, but with electrostatic forces providing attraction, rather than gravity....
.






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The article on magnetism
Magnetism

In physics, magnetism is one of the phenomena by which materials exert attractive or repulsive forces on other materials. Some well-known materials that exhibit easily detectable magnetic properties are nickel, iron, cobalt, and their alloys; however, all materials are influenced to greater or lesser degree by the presence of a magnetic fiel...
 states that the physical cause of an atomic magnetic dipole (or moment) is two kinds of movement of electrons.

This article clarifies that electrons don’t actually move in their orbitals. When quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics

Quantum mechanics is a set of principles underlying the most fundamental known description of all physical systems at the microscopic scale . Notable amongst these principles are both a dual wave-like and particle-like behavior of matter and radiation, and prediction of probabilities in situations where classical physics predicts certaintie...
 refer to “electron orbital motion” they are actually referring to the spatial wave function of the electron.

Just as spin
Spin (physics)

In quantum mechanics, spin is a fundamental property of atomic nucleus, hadrons, and elementary particles. For particles with non-zero spin, spin direction is an important intrinsic degrees of freedom ....
 doesn’t mean the particle is actually spinning around an axis in the classical sense, orbital motion doesn’t mean the particle is revolving around the nucleus
Atomic nucleus

The nucleus of an atom is the very dense region, consisting of nucleons , at the center of an atom. Although the size of the nucleus varies considerably according to the mass of the atom, the size of the entire atom is comparatively constant....
 in the sense of the Bohr model
Bohr model

In atomic physics, the Bohr model created by Niels Bohr depicts the atom as a small, positively charged atomic nucleus surrounded by electrons that travel in circular orbits around the nucleus—similar in structure to the solar system, but with electrostatic forces providing attraction, rather than gravity....
. Likewise, the orbital angular momentum is a quantum value
Azimuthal quantum number

The Azimuthal quantum number symbolized as l is a quantum number for an atomic orbital that determines its orbital angular momentum. The azimuthal quantum number is the second of a set of quantum numbers which describe the unique quantum state of an electron and is designated by the letter l....
 inherent in the electron’s orbital energy state, even though nothing is moving in the classical sense. Furthermore, current loops caused by this orbital motion are also linguistic licence on the part of physicists, because there is neither current (movement of a charge) nor looping going on; but, the mathematical description is very much like that of a classic current loop.

See also

  • Atomic orbital
    Atomic orbital

    An atomic orbital is a mathematical function that describes the wave-like behavior of an electron in an atom. This function can be used to calculate the probability of finding any electron of an atom in any specific region around the atom's nucleus....
  • Electron orbital
    Electron orbital

    An electron orbital may refer to:* An atomic orbital, describing the behaviour of an electron in an atom* A molecular orbital, describing the behaviour of an electron in a molecule...


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