Question

How are s orbitals different from p orbitals?

Answer 1

The s orbital is spherical, while the p orbital is shaped like a dumbbell. Due to these shapes, the s orbital has only one orientation, while the p orbital has three degenerate orientations (`x`, `y`, and `z`), each of which can hold up to two electrons.

This is why you write `1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 cdotcdotcdot` for electron configurations.

The s orbital has nodes that lay within its spherical boundaries at select radial distances `vecr`, but the p orbital has nodal planes.

Whereas the s orbital only increases in size and varies due to the quantum number `n` (size) and `l` (number of radial nodes = `n - l - 1`), the p orbital increases in complexity for higher angular momentum `l` and higher quantum number `n`.