How many subshells are present in the n = 3 shell?

• A. 4
• B. 1
• C. 3
• D. 2

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Recall that the principal quantum number \(n\) defines the shell number and determines the possible subshells within that shell.
2. For a given shell with principal quantum number \(n\), the possible values of the azimuthal quantum number \(l\) range from \$0\( to \)n-1$.
3. Each value of \(l\) corresponds to a subshell: \(l=0\) is the s subshell, \(l=1\) is the p subshell, \(l=2\) is the d subshell, and so on.
4. For \(n=3\), the possible \(l\) values are \$0\(, \)1\(, and \)2$, which correspond to the 3s, 3p, and 3d subshells respectively.
5. Therefore, the number of subshells in the \(n=3\) shell is equal to the number of possible \(l\) values, which is \$3$.