A Fun Way to Teach Quantum Numbers
You just read that twice to be sure didn’t you? It’s not a lie and it is fun.
It’s crazy. It’s fun. And it is so simple you are going to wonder why you haven’t thought of this before. Get ready to teach quantum numbers with one item that most students have in their kitchen.
...And you already have in your classroom. No need to buy anything.
Sounds too good to be true, but it isn't. Ready to find out what this item is and how you can use it to make this a fun lesson?
Use the Coffee Mug
Let students know that everyone is taking notes today. Have students take out a piece of paper and have them put n, l, ml, and ms along the left side.
Have a big coffee mug and a little coffee mug in your hands. Ask students if anyone has one of these they use at home. You will probably get lots of hands going up or nods of agreement.
Tell students that you want them to think about a coffee mug they have at home. Tell students to picture where it is and what it looks like. Also, tell them they must be picturing a coffee mug with a handle.
Now, explain to them are going to describe their coffee mug using quantum numbers.
The students will look at you like you have 3 heads. Ignore them. They will love this activity and learn a ton.
Teach “n” With a Coffee Mug
Let them know you are starting on "n". So they should take notes, draw images, or anything else that will help them remember on the right side of the page next to “n”.
Explain this quantum number describes the size of the mug or subshell. Tell students to think about their coffee cup at home. Is it big or small? Hold up your two coffee mugs again. Tell them to write a 0 if it is small and a 7 if it is big.
Students should be writing down what "n" means, but also the characteristics of their mug on their blank notes page.
Have students pick a number in between that feels appropriate if it is medium sized.
Teach “l” With a Coffee Mug
"l" has to do with the shape of the coffee mug or orbital.
Tell students to write 0 if the coffee mug is traditional, 1 if it has the shape of an animal, 2 if it is the shape of a person, and 3 if it is the shape of something in nature.
Explain that in quantum numbers we write 0 if the shape is spherical(s orbital), 1 if it is dumbbell shaped (p orbital), 2 if it is clover shaped (d orbital), and 3 if it is one of the complicated f orbitals.
Remind students that they need to have good notes and their own "coffee quantum numbers" after this activity.
Teach "ml" With a Coffee Mug
Explain that "ml" is the orientation of the coffee mug (or orbital).
Ask students if their mug at home is on the counter, in the sink, in the dishwasher, in the cabinets, in their car, or somewhere else.
Tell students to picture the position that their coffee mug is in. Tell them to write -1 if it is upright, 0 if it is laying on its side, 1 if it is sitting upside down.
Explain that this is the same for an electron in an orbital. We need to know if the orbital is oriented up and down, side to side, or front to back.
Make sure students write that last sentence down.
Teach “ms” With a Coffee Mug
Last, explain to students that "ms" has to do with spin. It is a bit of a stretch for coffee mugs to have spin, but tell students to bear with you.
This is why the coffee mug must have a handle. If the handle is to the right it is spin up. If the handle is to the left it is spin down.
Now for the really fun part and the whole point of the activity.
Own the Quantum Magic Trick
You are going to turn this into a magic trick. Walk around the room and pick up students' papers and describe their mugs to the class.
Imagine the conversations and entertaining interactions:
“You have a large, plant shaped coffee mug in your dishwasher with the handle to the left! Do you drink tea or coffee in it?”
“Does your mother know you left her large, traditionally shaped, coffee mug with the handle to the left in your car this morning?”
This gets highly entertaining and memorable because you are describing their mug to them through numbers. This is an activity that will stick with them through the stress of quantum numbers.
Not only that, but they will completely understand why we use quantum numbers to describe the position of an electron. Because you will have just described the position of their coffee mug with those same quantum numbers with a glance.
If you really want bonus points with your students, have them bring in those coffee mugs and you could allow coffee/tea/ hot chocolate for that day.
Not only can students actually see the lesson (since you had your coffee mug), but they can relate it to their own lives and understand what quantum numbers mean.
Worksheets that will make teaching this difficult topic easy:
Quantum Numbers Cheat Sheet
Quantum Numbers Digital Activity
Quantum Numbers Doodle Notes
Quantum Numbers Worksheet
How to Teach Quantum Numbers (FREE)