How many orbitals are in the n=3 level?
Answer: The n=3 level has 9 orbitals.
Explanation: In the context of the electron configuration, π represents the principal quantum number, which indicates the energy level or shell of an electron.
The number of orbitals in a given energy level is determined by the value of π. For π=3, there are 3 subshells (s, p, and d), each with a maximum number of orbitals as follows:
- 1 s orbital in the π=3 level (s subshell)
- 3 p orbitals in the π=3 level (p subshell)
- 5 d orbitals in the π=3 level (d subshell)
Adding up the orbitals from each subshell gives a total of 9 orbitals in the π=3 level.
Read: What is electron configuration and why itβs important?
Significance: Understanding the distribution of orbitals in different energy levels is essential in describing the electron arrangement in atoms and predicting their chemical behavior.