Bohr theory

[ bawr-thee-uh-ree, theer-ee ]

nounPhysics.
  1. the theory of atomic structure on which the Bohr model is based.

Origin of Bohr theory

1
First recorded in 1920–25; named after Danish physicist Niels Bohr

Words Nearby Bohr theory

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for Bohr theory

Bohr theory

noun
  1. a theory of atomic structure that explains the spectrum of hydrogen atoms. It assumes that the electron orbiting around the nucleus can exist only in certain energy states, a jump from one state to another being accompanied by the emission or absorption of a quantum of radiation

Origin of Bohr theory

1
C20: after Niels Bohr

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for Bohr theory

Bohr theory

  1. An early model of atomic structure, in which electrons circulate around the nucleus in discrete, stable orbits with different energy levels. This model was the first to predict and explain the atomic spectrum of the hydrogen atom, which arises as the electron jumps from one orbit to another orbit of lower energy, giving off electromagnetic radiation of predictable frequencies. Later models of atomic structure abandoned the idea of circular orbits, and explained the stable orbits as standing waves. See also atomic spectrum orbital.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.