Consider the following representation of the one orbital below. The points represent various electron locations. What is the maximum number of electrons that this orbital can hold?
A) 10
B) 6
C) 5
D) 4
E) 2

Question

Consider the following representation of the one orbital below. The points represent various electron locations.  What is the maximum number of electrons that this orbital can hold?
A) 10 
B) 6 
C) 5 
D) 4 
E) 2

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This orbital can only hold 2 electrons because it is a single orbital with one energy level. The points represent different possible locations for the single pair of electrons in the orbital. Therefore, the maximum number of electrons that this orbital can hold is 2 (in accordance with the Pauli exclusion principle).

Consider the Following Representation of the One Orbital Below