What shell contains a total of 16 orbitals?
A. n = 1
B. n = 2
C. n = 3
D. n = 4
E. n = 5
4
I had this question:
3) A certain shell is known to have a total of 16 orbitals. Which shell is it?
a) n = 4
b) n = 16
c) n = 8
d) n = 2
and the answer was a) n = 4.
To determine which shell contains a total of 16 orbitals, we need to know the formula for calculating the number of orbitals in a shell.
The formula is given by:
Number of orbitals = 2n^2
where n is the principal quantum number.
Let's plug in the values to find the answer:
For option A, n = 1:
Number of orbitals = 2(1)^2 = 2
For option B, n = 2:
Number of orbitals = 2(2)^2 = 8
For option C, n = 3:
Number of orbitals = 2(3)^2 = 18
For option D, n = 4:
Number of orbitals = 2(4)^2 = 32
For option E, n = 5:
Number of orbitals = 2(5)^2 = 50
From the above calculations, we can see that option D (n = 4) has a total of 16 orbitals, so the correct answer is:
D. n = 4
To determine which shell contains a total of 16 orbitals, we need to consider the formula for calculating the maximum number of orbitals in a shell.
The maximum number of orbitals in a shell is given by the formula 2n², where n represents the principal quantum number of the shell.
Let's calculate the number of orbitals for each option:
A. n = 1
2(1)² = 2 orbitals
B. n = 2
2(2)² = 8 orbitals
C. n = 3
2(3)² = 18 orbitals
D. n = 4
2(4)² = 32 orbitals
E. n = 5
2(5)² = 50 orbitals
From the calculations, we can see that option D, n = 4, contains a total of 16 orbitals. Therefore, the correct answer is D. n = 4.