The standard "picture" of the hydrogen atom as a tiny proton with an electron moving in an ellipse around it is extremely oversimplified. The main thing wrong with this picture is
A) the electron should be pictured as a spread- out matter field.
B) actually there are several electrons going around in the hydrogen atom
C) the electron is actually much larger than the proton.
D) the path is actually much more complicated than the elliptical path pictured.
E) Actually this picture is not oversimplified.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The electron in a hydrogen atom is better described by a probability cloud or wave function, representing a spread-out matter field rather than a distinct particle moving in a fixed path.

The Standard "Picture" of the Hydrogen Atom as a Tiny