Question

What is the difference between orbit and orbitals with clear diagram?

Answer 1

An orbit is a planar or two-dimensional circular pathway. The maximum number of electrons in a particular orbit is 2n2 . An orbit follows Newton’s laws of motion. In atomic theory, an orbit is created because of the pull of the negatively charged electron to the positively charged nucleus while having the same angular velocity. But as Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle proves it as uncertain, we cannot easily determine the exact orbit of an electron.

Orbital
If you think that one can tell the exact position of electrons at a certain time, you are actually wrong. According to Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle: “One can never know with perfect accuracy both of those two important factors which determine the movement of one of the smallest particles (electrons)—its position and its velocity. It is impossible to determine accurately both the position and the direction and speed of a particle or electron at the same instant.”

So an orbital is an uncertain area inside an atom within which the probability to find an electron(s) is highest. It represents the three-dimensional space around the nucleus. Orbitals occur in various shapes and capacities in accordance with the element and its atomic number. They are categorized as s, p, d and f type orbital. The maximum capacities of these orbital are:
s orbital – 2 electrons
p orbital – 6 electrons
d orbital – 10 electrons
f orbital – 16 electrons

Answer 2

orbit is a fixed path around a heavy object on which a lighter object moves due to gravitational forces or electromagnetic forces while anorbital is an uncertain area around the nucleus of an atom in which the probability of finding an electron is maximum.