MCAT Question A Day - 3/6/14 - Answer!
What is the maximum number of electrons in an atom that can have quantum numbers of n = 5 and l = 2?
A. 5
B. 8
C. 10
D. 15
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The correct answer is (C). These quantum numbers refer to the 5d electrons. The value of n is not used directly to answer the question. From +2 through -2, m can have 5 values. Each m value can have 2 values of ms associated with it, for a total of 10 states.
