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How many angles can (L) make with the z-axis for an (l=2) electron?

a) 1
b) 2
c) 3
d) 4

User JadedTuna
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

For an l = 2 electron, the angular momentum vector L can make five different angles with the z-axis, which correspond to the five possible values of the magnetic quantum number ml.

Step-by-step explanation:

The number of angles that the angular momentum vector L can make with the z-axis for an electron with quantum number l = 2 is determined by the magnetic quantum number ml, which can take on the values -l to +l in integer steps.

Since l = 2, ml can have five different values: -2, -1, 0, 1, and 2, which corresponds to five different angles. The smallest angle corresponds to the maximum value of the magnetic quantum number, which would be ml = 2 in this case.

User Afternoon
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