An electron in a hydrogen atom has principal quantum number n = 4.How many possible values of the orbital quantum number l could it have?
A) 8
B) 9
C) 3
D) 4
E) 10

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

For a given value of n, the maximum possible value of l is n-1. Therefore, in this case, l can have values of 0, 1, 2, or 3 (since the electron's principal quantum number is 4). This gives us a total of 4 possible values for l. Therefore, the correct answer is D (4).

An Electron in a Hydrogen Atom Has Principal Quantum Number