Question

How many orbitals are there in the seventh shell ?

Answer 1

`49`

Explanation:

You can determine the number of orbitals you have in a particular shell by using the principal quantum number, `n`.

More specifically, the number of orbitals that can be found in each shell is given by

`"no. of orbitals" = n^2`

So, for the first shell you have

`"no. of orbitals" = 1^2 = 1`

For the second shell you have

`"no. of orbitals" = 2^2 = 4`

In your case, the seventh shell will contain

`"no. of orbitals" = 7^2 = 49`

Notice that you can easily find the number of electrons that an atom can accomodate on a particular shell, or energy level, by using the fact that each orbital can hold a maximum of two electrons.

In the case of the seventh shell, those `49` orbitals will hold a maximum of

`"no. of electrons" = 2 * 49 = "98 e"^(-)`