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---
tags: [physics, electricity]
---
# Electrons
## Shells
@ -9,8 +10,8 @@ Electrons orbit in concentric circuits around the nucleus of the atom. Each
orbit is called a **shell**.
Each shell can accommodate a maximum number of electrons. The shells are
designated by letters and filled in sequence moving out from the shell nearest to
the nucleus.
designated by letters and filled in sequence moving out from the shell nearest
to the nucleus.
_The diagram below demonstrates shell naming conventions and the maximum number
of electrons per shell._
@ -20,9 +21,9 @@ of electrons per shell._
## Valence
The outer shell called the **valence shell** and the number of electrons it
contains, the **valence**. This part of the atom is the most important from
the point of view of electricity because it is from here that electrons can
escape the atom and where electrons from other atoms may join.
contains, the **valence**. This part of the atom is the most important from the
point of view of electricity because it is from here that electrons can escape
the atom and where electrons from other atoms may join.
> The farther the valence shell is from the nucleus, the less attraction the
> nucleus has on each valence electron. Thus the potential for the atom to gain
@ -45,6 +46,13 @@ In contrast **insulators** are atoms that stabilize themselves by absorbing
valence electrons from other atoms to fill their valence shells, eliminating the
free electrons.
> The propensity for the electrons within a conductor to move about and jump
> between atoms, swapping charge, is not something that is only activated when a
> voltage is applied. In fact, the electrons are always doing this, even in a
> piece of inert copper. The difference is they are doing it randomly and in all
> kinds of directions. It is only when a voltage is applied that the motion and
> exchange of electrons is forced in one consistent direction.
### Semiconductors
Semiconductive materials are midway between conductors and insulators: they are