How many degenerate orbitals exist in an f-subshell (azimuthal quantum number l = 3)?

Answer and explanation

Correct answer: B. 7

  1. Step 1: The number of degenerate orbitals in any subshell is given by 2l + 1. Step 2. For an f-subshell where l = 3: 2(3) + 1 = 7 orbitals (m_l = -3, -2, -1, 0, +1, +2, +3). Answer: 7. Why not the others: 5 is the number of d-orbitals; 3 is the number of p-orbitals; 14 is the maximum number of electrons in an f-subshell.

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