Question

How many electrons can a single orbital hold? How many orbitals are found in a subshell of each of the following types?

s:

p:

d:

f:

How many electrons can a subshell of each of the following types hold?

s:

p:

d:

f:

Answer 1

A single orbital can hold a maximum of two electrons, which must have opposing spins; otherwise they would have the same four quantum numbers, which is forbidden. One electron is spin up (ms = +1/2) and the other would spin down (ms = -1/2). This tells us that each subshell has double the electrons per orbital.

The s subshell has 1 orbital

the p subshell has 3 orbitals

the d subshell has 5 orbitals

the f subshell has 7 orbitals

A single orbital can hold a maximum of two electrons.  The s subshell has 1 orbital that can hold up to 2 electrons, the p subshell has 3 orbitals that can hold up to 6 electrons, the d subshell has 5 orbitals that hold up to 10 electrons, and the f subshell has 7 orbitals with 14 electrons. This tells us that each subshell has double the electrons per orbital.