Shell vs. Orbital — What's the Difference?

The energy level in an atom where electrons reside.

A region within a shell where an electron is likely to be found.

Indicated by principal quantum number (n).

Indicates electron's probable location.

A layer in an atom's electron structure.

Can hold a maximum of two electrons.

The hard protective outer case of a mollusc or crustacean

Has a specific shape (spherical, dumbbell, etc.).

An explosive artillery projectile or bomb

Relating to an orbit or orbits.

Something resembling or likened to a shell because of its shape or its function as an outer case

An orbital road.

The metal framework of a vehicle body.

Each of the actual or potential patterns of electron density which may be formed in an atom or molecule by one or more electrons, and can be represented as a wave function.

A light racing boat.

Of or relating to an orbit.

An inner or roughly made coffin.

The wave function of an electron in an atom or molecule, indicating the electron's probable location.

The hand guard of a sword.

Of or relating to, or forming an orbit (such as the orbit of a moon, planet, or spacecraft).

Each of a set of orbitals around the nucleus of an atom, occupied or able to be occupied by electrons of similar energies

(anatomy) Of or relating to the eye socket eyehole.

Short for shell program

Passing around the outside of an urban area.

Bombard with shells

Ellipsis of orbital motorway.

Remove the shell or pod from (a nut or seed)

(physics) A specification of the energy and probability density of one or more electrons at any point in an atom or molecule, and can be represented as a wave function.

The usually hard outer covering that encases certain organisms, such as insects, turtles, and most mollusks.

Of or pertaining to an orbit.

A similar outer covering on a nut or seed.

Of or relating to an orbit;

A similar outer covering on certain eggs, such as those of birds and reptiles; an eggshell.

Of or relating to the eye socket;

The material that constitutes such a covering.

Defined by three quantum numbers.

An external, usually hard, protective or enclosing case or cover.

A framework or exterior, as of a building.

A thin layer of pastry.

The external part of the ear.

The hull of a ship.

A light, long, narrow racing boat propelled by rowers.

A small glass for beer.

An artillery projectile containing an explosive charge.

A metal or cardboard case containing the charge and primer for a piece of firearms ammunition, especially one also containing shot and fired from a shotgun.

An attitude or a manner adopted to mask one's true feelings or to protect one from perceived or real danger

A set of electron orbitals having nearly the same energy and sharing the same first quantum number.

Any of the stable states of other particles or collections of particles (such as the nucleons in an atomic nucleus) at a given energy or small range of energies.

A usually sleeveless and collarless, typically knit blouse.

A thin, usually waterproof or windproof outer garment for the upper body.

(Computers) A program that works with the operating system as a command processor, used to enter commands and initiate their execution.

A company or corporation created by a second company or corporation for the purposes of facilitating a particular transaction, especially one that is intended to be concealed.

To remove the shell of; shuck

To remove from a shell

To separate the kernels of (corn) from the cob.

To fire shells at; bombard.

To defeat decisively.

(Baseball) To hit the pitches of (a pitcher) hard and with regularity

To shed or become free of a shell.

To look for or collect shells, as on a seashore

A hard external covering of an animal.

The calcareous or chitinous external covering of mollusks, crustaceans, and some other invertebrates.

(by extension) Any mollusk having such a covering.

(entomology) The exoskeleton or wing covers of certain insects.

The conjoined scutes that constitute the "shell" (carapace) of a tortoise or turtle.

The overlapping hard plates comprising the armor covering the armadillo's body.

The hard calcareous covering of a bird egg.

One of the outer layers of skin of an onion.

(botany) The hard external covering of various plant seed forms.

The covering, or outside part, of a nut.

A pod containing the seeds of certain plants, such as the legume Phaseolus vulgaris.

(in the plural) Husks of cacao seeds, a decoction of which is sometimes used as a substitute or adulterant for cocoa and its products such as chocolate.

(geology) The accreted mineral formed around a hollow geode.

(weaponry) The casing of a self-contained single-unit artillery projectile.

(weaponry) A hollow, usually spherical or cylindrical projectile fired from a siege mortar or a smoothbore cannon. It contains an explosive substance designed to be ignited by a fuse or by percussion at the target site so that it will burst and scatter at high velocity its contents and fragments. Formerly called a bomb.

(weaponry) The cartridge of a breechloading firearm; a load; a bullet; a round.

(architecture) Any slight hollow structure; a framework, or exterior structure, regarded as not complete or filled in, as the shell of a house.

A garment, usually worn by women, such as a shirt, blouse, or top, with short sleeves or no sleeves, that often fastens in the rear.

A coarse or flimsy coffin; a thin interior coffin enclosed within a more substantial one.

(music) A string instrument, as a lyre, whose acoustical chamber is formed like a shell.

(music) The body of a drum; the often wooden, often cylindrical acoustic chamber, with or without rims added for tuning and for attaching the drum head.

An engraved copper roller used in print works.

The thin coating of copper on an electrotype.

(nautical) The watertight outer covering of the hull of a vessel, often made with planking or metal plating.

The outer frame or case of a block within which the sheaves revolve.

(nautical) A light boat whose frame is covered with thin wood, impermeable fabric, or water-proofed paper; a racing shell or dragon boat.

(chemistry) A set of atomic orbitals that have the same principal quantum number.

(figuratively) The outward form independent of what is inside.

(figuratively) The empty outward form of someone or something.

An emaciated person.

A psychological barrier to social interaction.

(computing) An operating system software user interface, whose primary purpose is to launch other programs and control their interactions; the user's command interpreter. Shell is a way to separate the internal complexity of the implementation of the command from the user. The internals can change while the user experience/interface remains the same.

(business) A legal entity that has no operations.

A concave rough cast-iron tool in which a convex lens is ground to shape.

(engineering) A gouge bit or shell bit.

(phonology) The onset and coda of a syllable.

A person's ear.

To remove the outer covering or shell of something.

To bombard, to fire projectiles at, especially with artillery.

(informal) To disburse or give up money, to pay. (Often used with out).

(intransitive) To fall off, as a shell, crust, etc.

(intransitive) To cast the shell, or exterior covering; to fall out of the pod or husk.

To switch to a shell or command line.

To form shallow, irregular cracks (in a coating).

(topology) To form a shelling.

A hard outside covering, as of a fruit or an animal.

The hard calcareous or chitinous external covering of mollusks, crustaceans, and some other invertebrates. In some mollusks, as the cuttlefishes, it is internal, or concealed by the mantle. Also, the hard covering of some vertebrates, as the armadillo, the tortoise, and the like.

A hollow projectile, of various shapes, adapted for a mortar or a cannon, and containing an explosive substance, ignited with a fuse or by percussion, by means of which the projectile is burst and its fragments scattered. See Bomb.

The case which holds the powder, or charge of powder and shot, used with breechloading small arms.

Any slight hollow structure; a framework, or exterior structure, regarded as not complete or filled in; as, the shell of a house.

A coarse kind of coffin; also, a thin interior coffin inclosed in a more substantial one.

An instrument of music, as a lyre, - the first lyre having been made, it is said, by drawing strings over a tortoise shell.

An engraved copper roller used in print works.

The husks of cacao seeds, a decoction of which is often used as a substitute for chocolate, cocoa, etc.

The outer frame or case of a block within which the sheaves revolve.

A light boat the frame of which is covered with thin wood or with paper; as, a racing shell.

Something similar in form or action to an ordnance shell;

A concave rough cast-iron tool in which a convex lens is ground to shape.

A gouge bit or shell bit.

To strip or break off the shell of; to take out of the shell, pod, etc.; as, to shell nuts or pease; to shell oysters.

To separate the kernels of (an ear of Indian corn, wheat, oats, etc.) from the cob, ear, or husk.

To throw shells or bombs upon or into; to bombard; as, to shell a town.

To fall off, as a shell, crust, etc.

To cast the shell, or exterior covering; to fall out of the pod or husk; as, nuts shell in falling.

To be disengaged from the ear or husk; as, wheat or rye shells in reaping.

Ammunition consisting of a cylindrical metal casing containing an explosive charge and a projectile; fired from a large gun

The material that forms the hard outer covering of many animals

Hard outer covering or case of certain organisms such as arthropods and turtles

The hard usually fibrous outer layer of some fruits especially nuts

The exterior covering of a bird's egg

A rigid covering that envelops an object;

A very light narrow racing boat

The housing or outer covering of something;

A metal sheathing of uniform thickness (such as the shield attached to an artillery piece to protect the gunners)

The hard largely calcareous covering of a mollusc

Use explosives on;

Fall out of the pod or husk;

Hit the pitches of hard and regularly;

Look for and collect shells by the seashore

Come out better in a competition, race, or conflict;

Remove from its shell or outer covering;

Remove the husks from;

A grouping of orbitals in an atom.

Determines the electron configuration of an atom.

The number of orbitals depends on the principal quantum number (n) and can be calculated using the formula n^2.

A shell is an energy level in an atom containing electrons.

Yes, a shell can contain multiple types of orbitals (s, p, d, f).

Each orbital can hold a maximum of two electrons.

It indicates the energy level of a shell and is denoted by n.

An orbital is a specific region within a shell where electrons are likely to be found.

Shells are labeled numerically as 1, 2, 3, etc.

Orbitals have different shapes: s (spherical), p (dumbbell-shaped), d and f (more complex shapes).

Shells determine the broad distribution of electrons, while orbitals provide a detailed configuration.

Orbitals are designated by letters: s, p, d, and f.

Orbitals do not overlap; each belongs to a specific shell.

The shape is determined by the angular momentum quantum number (l).

The first shell can hold up to 2 electrons.

The arrangement of orbitals influences the structure of the periodic table and the properties of elements.

They determine how atoms bond and interact with each other.