Sommerfeld's elliptical atomic orbits revisited—A useful preliminary to the study of quantum mechanics

The Bohr-Sommerfeld atomic model is recast in the language of wave-particle duality and it is shown that requirements equivalent to the Sommerfeld-Wilson quantisation conditions arise naturally in this context. It is suggested that treating the one-electron atom in this way provides a useful introduction for students prior to encountering the more formal analysis based on the solution of the Schrödinger equation.