a chemistry question

[delon]

in chemistry, when we write the electric configuration of an element its like this :

for Na ( Sodium ) :
k l m n
2 8 1

now the quesiton is why do we write k l m n as shells why not a b c d as shells of the atom.

[Sheer Cold]

Here's the answer to almost exactly the same question, word-for-word:

http://education.jlab.org/qa/historyele_02.html

[habboice]

i don't understand a thing of what you just said :D

[Zangetsu]

i don't understand a thing of what you just said :D

how old are you ???

[VPmase]

i don't understand a thing of what you just said :D

Could you spam some more PLEASE!*

*Sarcasm in case you didn't get the hint.

[galaxyAbstractor]

I am 15 and I understand it. But we never got trought why it's kalled k,l,m,n etc.

[Spartan Erik]

"Barkla labeled them with the letters K, L, M, N, O, P, and Q. (The origin of this terminology was alphabetic. K for hypothetical spectral lines that were never discovered.) These letters were later found to correspond to the n-values 1, 2, 3, etc. They are used in the spectroscopic Siegbahn notation."

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electron_shell

The link in a previous post did quite a good job as well..

[delon]

i am 15, and its not a lame question, it has some logic, why k l m n as shells of the atoms why not a b c d.

[LHVWB]

i am 15, and its not a lame question, it has some logic, why k l m n as shells of the atoms why not a b c d.

Most of my year 11 chem class asked exactly the same question, and like normal with chem it was just made up by the guy who found it.

Anyway the sub shell configurations are far more interesting, if you want to do some more reading. ;)

[delon]

but the real question is why did he named k l m n why not a b c d