Question

What, if any, constraints does a value of ml=1 place on the other quantum numbers for an electron in an atom?

a) No constraint
b) l = 1
c) n must be even
d) n must be odd

Answer 1

A value of ml = 1 necessitates that the angular momentum quantum number l must be at least 1, and the principal quantum number n must be an integer greater than l, with no restrictions on it being even or odd. option (B)

Step-by-step explanation:

If we have a quantum number ml = 1, it places a specific constraint on the azimuthal or angular momentum quantum number (l). Specifically, it implies that l must be at least 1. Consequently, l could be 1, 2, 3, etc., up to n-1, where n is the principal quantum number.

For example, if n is 2, l can be either 0 or 1, but if n is 3, l could be 0, 1, or 2. So, l must be equal to or greater than 1 for ml = 1 to be valid. The principal quantum number n must be an integer greater than l, which means it must be 2 or higher. There is no restriction that n must be even or odd; it just needs to be greater than l. Hence, the correct answer is b) l = 1.