{"id":87000,"date":"2025-06-01T04:25:12","date_gmt":"2025-06-01T04:25:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/?p=87000"},"modified":"2025-06-01T04:25:12","modified_gmt":"2025-06-01T04:25:12","slug":"what-is-the-total-number-of-orbitals-associated-with-the-principal-qua","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/what-is-the-total-number-of-orbitals-associated-with-the-principal-qua\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the total number of orbitals associated with the principal qua"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is the total number of orbitals associated with the principal quantum number 3?<\/p>\n

[amp_mcq option1=”3″ option2=”6″ option3=”9″ option4=”12″ correct=”option3″]<\/p>\n

\n
\n
This question was previously asked in<\/div>\n
UPSC Geoscientist – 2023<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Download PDF<\/a>Attempt Online<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\nThe principal quantum number (n) defines the energy level or shell. For a given principal quantum number n, the number of possible subshells is equal to n. These subshells are characterized by the azimuthal quantum number (l), which can take integer values from 0 to n-1.
\nFor n = 3, the possible values of l are 0, 1, and 2.
\nl = 0 corresponds to the s subshell. The number of orbitals in an s subshell is 1 (m_l = 0).
\nl = 1 corresponds to the p subshell. The number of orbitals in a p subshell is 3 (m_l = -1, 0, +1).
\nl = 2 corresponds to the d subshell. The number of orbitals in a d subshell is 5 (m_l = -2, -1, 0, +1, +2).
\nThe total number of orbitals associated with a principal quantum number n is the sum of the number of orbitals in each subshell:
\nTotal orbitals for n=3 = (number of orbitals for l=0) + (number of orbitals for l=1) + (number of orbitals for l=2)
\nTotal orbitals for n=3 = 1 (3s) + 3 (3p) + 5 (3d) = 9.
\nAlternatively, the total number of orbitals in a shell with principal quantum number n is given by n\u00b2.
\nFor n = 3, total orbitals = 3\u00b2 = 9.
\n<\/section>\n
\nFor a given principal quantum number n, the total number of atomic orbitals in that shell is n\u00b2.
\n<\/section>\n
\nEach atomic orbital can hold a maximum of 2 electrons with opposite spins (Pauli Exclusion Principle). Thus, the maximum number of electrons in a shell with principal quantum number n is 2n\u00b2. For n=3, the maximum number of electrons is 2 * 3\u00b2 = 18.
\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What is the total number of orbitals associated with the principal quantum number 3? [amp_mcq option1=”3″ option2=”6″ option3=”9″ option4=”12″ correct=”option3″] This question was previously asked in UPSC Geoscientist – 2023 Download PDFAttempt Online The principal quantum number (n) defines the energy level or shell. For a given principal quantum number n, the number of possible … <\/p>\n

Detailed SolutionWhat is the total number of orbitals associated with the principal qua<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1091],"tags":[1105,1162,1096],"class_list":["post-87000","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-upsc-geoscientist","tag-1105","tag-atomic-structure","tag-chemistry","no-featured-image-padding"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat is the total number of orbitals associated with the principal qua<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The principal quantum number (n) defines the energy level or shell. For a given principal quantum number n, the number of possible subshells is equal to n. These subshells are characterized by the azimuthal quantum number (l), which can take integer values from 0 to n-1. For n = 3, the possible values of l are 0, 1, and 2. l = 0 corresponds to the s subshell. The number of orbitals in an s subshell is 1 (m_l = 0). l = 1 corresponds to the p subshell. The number of orbitals in a p subshell is 3 (m_l = -1, 0, +1). l = 2 corresponds to the d subshell. The number of orbitals in a d subshell is 5 (m_l = -2, -1, 0, +1, +2). The total number of orbitals associated with a principal quantum number n is the sum of the number of orbitals in each subshell: Total orbitals for n=3 = (number of orbitals for l=0) + (number of orbitals for l=1) + (number of orbitals for l=2) Total orbitals for n=3 = 1 (3s) + 3 (3p) + 5 (3d) = 9. Alternatively, the total number of orbitals in a shell with principal quantum number n is given by n\u00b2. For n = 3, total orbitals = 3\u00b2 = 9. For a given principal quantum number n, the total number of atomic orbitals in that shell is n\u00b2.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/what-is-the-total-number-of-orbitals-associated-with-the-principal-qua\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is the total number of orbitals associated with the principal qua\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The principal quantum number (n) defines the energy level or shell. For a given principal quantum number n, the number of possible subshells is equal to n. These subshells are characterized by the azimuthal quantum number (l), which can take integer values from 0 to n-1. For n = 3, the possible values of l are 0, 1, and 2. l = 0 corresponds to the s subshell. The number of orbitals in an s subshell is 1 (m_l = 0). l = 1 corresponds to the p subshell. The number of orbitals in a p subshell is 3 (m_l = -1, 0, +1). l = 2 corresponds to the d subshell. The number of orbitals in a d subshell is 5 (m_l = -2, -1, 0, +1, +2). The total number of orbitals associated with a principal quantum number n is the sum of the number of orbitals in each subshell: Total orbitals for n=3 = (number of orbitals for l=0) + (number of orbitals for l=1) + (number of orbitals for l=2) Total orbitals for n=3 = 1 (3s) + 3 (3p) + 5 (3d) = 9. Alternatively, the total number of orbitals in a shell with principal quantum number n is given by n\u00b2. For n = 3, total orbitals = 3\u00b2 = 9. For a given principal quantum number n, the total number of atomic orbitals in that shell is n\u00b2.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/what-is-the-total-number-of-orbitals-associated-with-the-principal-qua\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"MCQ and Quiz for Exams\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-01T04:25:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"rawan239\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"rawan239\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What is the total number of orbitals associated with the principal qua","description":"The principal quantum number (n) defines the energy level or shell. For a given principal quantum number n, the number of possible subshells is equal to n. These subshells are characterized by the azimuthal quantum number (l), which can take integer values from 0 to n-1. For n = 3, the possible values of l are 0, 1, and 2. l = 0 corresponds to the s subshell. The number of orbitals in an s subshell is 1 (m_l = 0). l = 1 corresponds to the p subshell. The number of orbitals in a p subshell is 3 (m_l = -1, 0, +1). l = 2 corresponds to the d subshell. The number of orbitals in a d subshell is 5 (m_l = -2, -1, 0, +1, +2). The total number of orbitals associated with a principal quantum number n is the sum of the number of orbitals in each subshell: Total orbitals for n=3 = (number of orbitals for l=0) + (number of orbitals for l=1) + (number of orbitals for l=2) Total orbitals for n=3 = 1 (3s) + 3 (3p) + 5 (3d) = 9. Alternatively, the total number of orbitals in a shell with principal quantum number n is given by n\u00b2. For n = 3, total orbitals = 3\u00b2 = 9. For a given principal quantum number n, the total number of atomic orbitals in that shell is n\u00b2.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/what-is-the-total-number-of-orbitals-associated-with-the-principal-qua\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What is the total number of orbitals associated with the principal qua","og_description":"The principal quantum number (n) defines the energy level or shell. For a given principal quantum number n, the number of possible subshells is equal to n. These subshells are characterized by the azimuthal quantum number (l), which can take integer values from 0 to n-1. For n = 3, the possible values of l are 0, 1, and 2. l = 0 corresponds to the s subshell. The number of orbitals in an s subshell is 1 (m_l = 0). l = 1 corresponds to the p subshell. The number of orbitals in a p subshell is 3 (m_l = -1, 0, +1). l = 2 corresponds to the d subshell. The number of orbitals in a d subshell is 5 (m_l = -2, -1, 0, +1, +2). The total number of orbitals associated with a principal quantum number n is the sum of the number of orbitals in each subshell: Total orbitals for n=3 = (number of orbitals for l=0) + (number of orbitals for l=1) + (number of orbitals for l=2) Total orbitals for n=3 = 1 (3s) + 3 (3p) + 5 (3d) = 9. Alternatively, the total number of orbitals in a shell with principal quantum number n is given by n\u00b2. For n = 3, total orbitals = 3\u00b2 = 9. For a given principal quantum number n, the total number of atomic orbitals in that shell is n\u00b2.","og_url":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/what-is-the-total-number-of-orbitals-associated-with-the-principal-qua\/","og_site_name":"MCQ and Quiz for Exams","article_published_time":"2025-06-01T04:25:12+00:00","author":"rawan239","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"rawan239","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/what-is-the-total-number-of-orbitals-associated-with-the-principal-qua\/","url":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/what-is-the-total-number-of-orbitals-associated-with-the-principal-qua\/","name":"What is the total number of orbitals associated with the principal qua","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/#website"},"datePublished":"2025-06-01T04:25:12+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-01T04:25:12+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/#\/schema\/person\/5807dafeb27d2ec82344d6cbd6c3d209"},"description":"The principal quantum number (n) defines the energy level or shell. For a given principal quantum number n, the number of possible subshells is equal to n. These subshells are characterized by the azimuthal quantum number (l), which can take integer values from 0 to n-1. For n = 3, the possible values of l are 0, 1, and 2. l = 0 corresponds to the s subshell. The number of orbitals in an s subshell is 1 (m_l = 0). l = 1 corresponds to the p subshell. The number of orbitals in a p subshell is 3 (m_l = -1, 0, +1). l = 2 corresponds to the d subshell. The number of orbitals in a d subshell is 5 (m_l = -2, -1, 0, +1, +2). The total number of orbitals associated with a principal quantum number n is the sum of the number of orbitals in each subshell: Total orbitals for n=3 = (number of orbitals for l=0) + (number of orbitals for l=1) + (number of orbitals for l=2) Total orbitals for n=3 = 1 (3s) + 3 (3p) + 5 (3d) = 9. Alternatively, the total number of orbitals in a shell with principal quantum number n is given by n\u00b2. For n = 3, total orbitals = 3\u00b2 = 9. For a given principal quantum number n, the total number of atomic orbitals in that shell is n\u00b2.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/what-is-the-total-number-of-orbitals-associated-with-the-principal-qua\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/what-is-the-total-number-of-orbitals-associated-with-the-principal-qua\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/what-is-the-total-number-of-orbitals-associated-with-the-principal-qua\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"UPSC Geoscientist","item":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/category\/upsc-geoscientist\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"What is the total number of orbitals associated with the principal qua"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/#website","url":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/","name":"MCQ and Quiz for Exams","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/#\/schema\/person\/5807dafeb27d2ec82344d6cbd6c3d209","name":"rawan239","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/761a7274f9cce048fa5b921221e7934820d74514df93ef195a9d22af0c1c9001?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/761a7274f9cce048fa5b921221e7934820d74514df93ef195a9d22af0c1c9001?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"rawan239"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com"],"url":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/author\/rawan239\/"}]}},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87000","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87000"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87000\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87000"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87000"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87000"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}