Question

What does the term electron orbital describe?

An electron orbital describes the exact distance of an electron from the nucleus.
An electron orbital describes the orbit of an electron around the nucleus.
An electron orbital describes a three-dimensional space where an electron can be found 90% of the time.

Answer 1

The term "electron orbital" describes a three-dimensional space where an electron can be found 90% of the time. It is a mathematical function that describes the probability distribution of an electron's position in an atom, indicating regions where the electron is likely to be located, rather than a fixed path around the nucleus.