Which provides the best analogy for an electron in an atomic orbital?

A. a bee moving from flower to flower in a garden

B. a bird resting on a tree branch

C. an ant crawling on the surface of a leaf

D. a bee trying to escape from a closed jar

Answer: a bee trying to escape from a closed jar

In an atom the electrons will occupy orbitals so that their energy is as small as possible. That is why the orbitals are ordered based on their energy level in an increasing order, which is associated with a particular range of energy based on its distance from the atom nucleus.

In this sense, an electron "jumps" from one level to another in the atom in the same way a bee tries to escape from a closed jar.