Quantum states

Do you know what atoms are? They are the little tiny things that make up everything around us- everything from pencils to pizzas are made up of atoms. Inside atoms, there are even smaller things called electrons which are constantly moving around the center of the atom called the nucleus.

Now, electrons can move in different ways, which gives them different amounts of energy. When they have more energy, they are said to be in a higher state, and when they have less energy, they are in a lower state.

Quantum states are just a fancy way of talking about these different energy levels that electrons can be in. Scientists use special machines and tools to measure and study these energy levels.

But here's the tricky part- these quantum states are not always concrete things that we can observe with our eyes. They are more like probabilities, or chances of something happening. Think of it like a coin toss- there's a 50/50 chance that it will land on heads or tails, and until we actually toss the coin, we don't know which side it will land on.

In the same way, quantum states are the chances of an electron being in a certain place or having a certain amount of energy. Scientists use a lot of math to calculate these probabilities and make predictions about what will happen when electrons interact with each other or with other things like light.

So, while quantum states may seem like a complicated and confusing thing, they really just describe the way tiny particles like electrons behave in different situations.