Bohr model

[bawr mod-l]

noun

Physics.

1. Also Bohr atomic model a representation of atomic structure in which the hydrogen atom Bohr atom is assumed to consist of a proton as the nucleus, with a single electron moving in distinct circular orbits around it, each orbit corresponding to a specific energy state: the Bohr model was later extended to other atoms.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Bohr model¹

Introduced in 1913 by Danish physicist Niels Bohr, who modified and applied concepts of Ernest Rutherford

Example Sentences

Wheeler was a legendary scientist that studied under Niels Bohr, who created the most widely recognized model for the atom called the Bohr model.

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Although modern quantum theory—which Bohr himself helped develop—has shown that the orbits associated with energy levels are more metaphoric than literal, this “Bohr model” of the atom is still essentially accurate.

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Other researchers are testing the limits of the Bohr model by, for example, using powerful X-ray lasers to blast away inner electrons and create 'hollow' atoms.

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I am on record as championing the Bohr model of the atom when speaking to general audiences with little to no background in physics, in which electrons move about the atomic nucleus in circular orbits.

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But this is a case where the Bohr model just isn’t gonna cut it.

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