Ground State

Lowest energy electronic arrangement of an atom or molecule.

Short definition

Lowest energy electronic arrangement of an atom or molecule.

Full explanation

Ground State in the context of electron configuration: Lowest energy electronic arrangement of an atom or molecule. In practice this means relating macroscopic observation (mass, pressure, color), particle-level picture (atoms, electrons, ions moving and rearranging), and symbolic representation (formulas, equations, units). For Ground State, students connect the definition to linked lessons: do not just memorize the phrase — predict what changes when conditions change and check with dimensional analysis.

Notation and units

• Notation: —
• Common units: SI or derived, temperature in kelvins when in gas/energy contexts.
• Symbolic hint: See related formula if applicable.

Example

Example for ground state: In a worked problem where this term appears, substitute measured values with correct units and check that the dimensional result matches the intended quantity. For instance, calculating a ground state often uses the form $n=m/M$ or $c=n/V$ or $PV=nRT$ with $T$ in kelvins — illustrating how ground state leads to a numerically different but dimensionally correct result when units are handled.

Confused with

• Excited State — distinction: Ground State is lowest energy electronic arrangement of an atom or molecule. while Excited State has a different defining property. See cross-link in glossary.

Related resources

• Topic: electron-configuration
• Formula library — when a specific equation involves this term it is linked.
• Constants — if a constant is required, it is sourced and versioned (NIST 2022).

Sources

• NIST Physical Constants 2022 (nist-2022, CODATA 2022). Accessed 2026-08-21.

Last reviewed: 2026-08-21 — Review due: 2027-08-21 — Author: Chemistry Fundamentals Editorial Team — Reviewer: Editorial Review Board (transparent placeholder).

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