Which of the following orbitals has the highest energy?
Practice Questions
Q1
Which of the following orbitals has the highest energy?
1s
2s
2p
3s
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
Which of the following orbitals has the highest energy?
Correct Answer: 3s
Step 1: Understand what an orbital is. An orbital is a region in an atom where there is a high probability of finding electrons.
Step 2: Know that orbitals are categorized by their principal quantum number (n). The principal quantum number indicates the energy level of the orbital.
Step 3: Identify the principal quantum numbers of the orbitals in the options. For example, 1s has n=1, 2s has n=2, and 3s has n=3.
Step 4: Compare the principal quantum numbers. The higher the number, the higher the energy of the orbital.
Step 5: Conclude that the 3s orbital has the highest principal quantum number (n=3) among the options, which means it has the highest energy.
