Question

Within every shell except the first one (n=1), what property describes the number of subshells?

a) Spin quantum number
b) Principal quantum number
c) Magnetic quantum number
d) Azimuthal quantum number

Answer 1

The property that describes the number of subshells within shells after the first is the azimuthal quantum number (l), which can range from 0 to n - 1 for a given principal quantum number n.The correct option is d.

Step-by-step explanation:

The property that describes the number of subshells within a shell, except for the first shell (n=1), is the azimuthal quantum number (l). This quantum number defines subshells within each shell. Within a given shell of principal quantum number n, the azimuthal quantum number l can have values ranging from 0 to n - 1. Each shell has subshells equal to the shell number: the 2nd shell has two subshells (2s and 2p), the 3rd shell has three subshells (3s, 3p, and 3d), and so on. The subshells are typically designated by the letters s, p, d, f, and are determined by the value of l: s-subshells (l = 0), p-subshells (l = 1), d-subshells (l = 2), and f-subshells (l = 3).