> I was just a little confused on one point from today's lecture.
> Professor Fryhle said that psi squared is a region of space where
> probability is high of finding an electron. My understanding is that it
> is simply the probability (whether or not that probability is high) of
> finding an electron in that region. If I am mistaken please correct me.
> Also, how do nodes come into play in calculating psi squared?
>
> Thanks
> Matt
>
Matt,
The node is a place where the wave function (psi squared) is
equal to zero. Another way to think about is about waves in the ocean
(with the same quantity, but only with positive and negative values)
cancelling each other out. The result is a node. The node represent the
average level of the ocean's waves. The positive and negative values of
the ocean waves represent the positive and negative lobes of the p
orbital in a certain molecule, for example. If you are still having
trouble with this Matt, write to The Organic Journal Club again. Hope
this helps you out.
Dan Casmier
casmiedm@plu.edu