hybridization implies that the shape of the molecule is tetrahedral.
Example:
Describe the bonds in methane in terms of their formation from sigma and pi bonds.
Looking at the periodic chart, the electron configuration of carbon can be seen to be [He] . Carbon has a filled 2s obital with two electrons, two half filled 2p orbitals and a single empty 2p orbital. Since carbon forms four chemically equivalent bonds with hydrogen to form methane, we must find a way to make carbon assume a configuration where four equivalent bonding sites are created. Since hydrogen only has a single electron, each of the bonding sites must be an orbital with at least one electron supplied by carbon. To achieve this situation, mentally promote one of carbon's 1s electrons into the empty p orbital. After this is done, we mentally hybridize the single s and three p orbitals together to form four equivalent orbitals. Then, each of these orbitals fuses with the 1s orbital of hydrogen to form four -1s bonds. Because orbitals have been used to form all the bonds with hydrogen in methane, the four hydrogens have equivalent chemical reactivity.
