How many orbitals are in the third shell?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking for the total number of orbitals present in the third electron shell of an atom. In quantum mechanics, each shell is associated with a certain number of sublevels or sub-shells, and each sub-shell has a specific number of orbitals.
Answer
9
The final answer is 9 orbitals.
Answer for screen readers
The final answer is 9 orbitals.
More Information
Each principal quantum number level (n = 3) contains subshells corresponding to different angular momentum quantum numbers (l). For n=3, the subshells are 3s, 3p, and 3d, which collectively hold a total of 9 orbitals.
Tips
Don't confuse the number of orbitals with the number of electrons that can be held in the shells.
Sources
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