Quantum Numbers

[205696343]

Can two electrons ever have the same set of 4 quantum numbers, or will there always be a difference in orbital size, energy, spin, or angular momentum that differentiates them?

[August_Blatney_1A]

No two electrons in an atom will have the same 4 quantum numbers, each electron is unique. It is possible for 2 electrons to have the same first 3 quantum numbers (n,l,ml) because this means these two electrons share an orbital, but the fourth quantum number (ms) will always be different. One of these electrons will be + 1/2 while the other will be - 1/2. This means one will be spin up and the other will be spin down.

[Ainsley McCabe 2D]

No, the quantum numbers for an electron will never be the same for two different electrons. Even if the first three are the same, the spin or last quantum number will always be different. I like to think of it as seats on a bus and no two electrons can occupy the same seat on the bus, so there quantum numbers will always be at least slightly different.

[Nicole Ton 3C]

No two electrons will ever have the same four quantum numbers. Two electrons can be in the same orbital, but this only corresponds to the first three quantum numbers (n, l, and ml). If two electrons are in the same orbital, their spins will be of opposite directions, so for the fourth quantum number ms, one will be +1/2 while the other will be -1/2. The idea that two atoms in the same orbital will have different spins is seen in the Pauli Exclusion Principle which states that there can be no more than two electrons per orbital, and that if two electrons are in the same orbital, then their spins are paired.

[Charlie Gravereaux]

Electrons in different atoms can have the same quantum numbers. For example, in Carbon and Hydrogen, the 1s electrons will have the same in each (since there is nothing within quantum numbers to distinguish specific atoms). However, for electrons in the same atom, they will always have unique quantum numbers, because even if they are paired together, their spins will be opposite, giving them different quantum numbers.

[Alyssa H]

No two electrons in the same atom can have the same 4 quantum numbers. I think of the electrons' quantum numbers as sort of their "ID," as they are each described by their quantum numbers and we are able to identify them individually based on those numbers. Obviously, two electrons in different atoms can have the same quantum numbers (i.e. two hydrogen atoms' electrons will share quantum numbers since the atoms' makeup is the same), but just not two within the same!

[Aaron Kwan 3B]

Each election will always have its own unique set of quantum numbers! Usually two electrons in the exact same suborbital have different spins (ms).

[Michael 1G]

According to Pauli's Exclusion Principle, no two electrons in an atom can share the same quantum state/4 quantum numbers. If the first 3 are shared, the electrons occupy the same orbital but the fourth quantum number will always be different (quantum spins).

[Mason_Hoppe_1A]

If they all will have different quantum numbers, will it ever be necessary (or even possible to determine) the fourth quantum number (m_s) of a given electron or is it never significant?

[205793570]

is not possible for two electrons to have the same four quantum numbers. Two electrons can be in the same orbital, but this only corresponds to the first three quantum numbers.

[905767718]

Each electron in an atom will have a different quantum number as long as you think about how there is a certain position and orientation for each electron across an atom, and only 1 electron can exist in 1 position at a time. The quantum numbers help specify exactly which state it is in.

[Maham Kazmi 2J]

No two electrons in an atom can have the same four quantum numbers. They can have up to 3 of the same but in that case the fourth (ms which represents spin) would be different. In a way, it's almost like the ID number of an electron -- each electron has its own unique ID number.

[505706331]

I'm still a little confused about quantum numbers. do the numbers just correspond to the electron in the highest orbital? I copied down the chart that dr. Lavelle gave in our notes that shows n=3 and the corresponding boxes with the quantum numbers but I am just not too sure about what these quantum numbers mean.

[Wenhan Li_3d]

No electrons will never have the same quantum number. It is likely that they have the same first three but not entirely(4 in this case).