Explanation of the Standing Wave Model

[Sunny Wu 3A]

What do the waves of the standing wave model represent exactly? I understand the significance is to demonstrate/explain why electrons have quantized energy states in atoms, but I'm confused as to what the wave itself represents.

[Sera Aintablian 2E]

In the quantum description of atoms, electrons have discrete energies with only certain wavelengths allowed inside an atom. An electron in this model is represented as a circular standing wave around the nucleus. The difference in the pictures is the important part to understand, I believe. The left one is an allowed energy level, an electron in phase. The right one in an unstable out of phase. It looks the way it does because it tries to model energy levels between n to n.

[Kelly Ha 1K]

I believe the waves themselves represent electron waves orbiting around the nucleus. The standing wave model shows that the electron waves constructively interfere with themselves and create a standing wave, proving that electrons have discrete quantized energies (can only exist in certain energy states).