bound electrons

[FrankieClarke2C]

On the board it was stated that a negative sign means bound e- has lower energy than free e-. What is meant by "bound electron" vs "free electron"

[Amy Lefley 1J]

A bound electron is one that is still considered part of the atom and is attracted to the nucleus whereas a free electron is one that absorbed enough energy from photons to completely leave the atom.

[Steven Garcia 1H]

A bound electron can be an electron in the energy state n=1, the grounded state. A bound electron is still relatively close to the nucleus. Whereas an energy state of n=4 is farther away from the nucleus. The farther away from a nucleus an electron is, the higher energy state it's at.