Energy Levels and Orbitals

[Amy Wong 1I]

What is the difference between an energy level/shell and an orbital? Are they the same?

[Laura Picazo 1L]

Different energy levels represent the distance of electrons from the nucleus. Larger numbers of the energy level mean that it is further away from the nucleus. Orbitals, however, are the space within the energy levels where the electrons are located. The orbitals come in different shapes (s, p, d, f)

[amyjunus1A]

What really helps me understand this concept is going back to the idea of Quantum Numbers (n, l, m(l), m(s)). In this case, n is the principal quantum number or the shell (n=1,2,3,...). The next number, l, is the sub-shell or groups of orbitals (l=0(s), (1)p, (2)d, (3)f). Within these sub-shells are the individual orbital shapes (s, p(x), p(y), p(z)).

So to simplify all of that, the shell and orbital are ways to define which electron(s) we are looking at. To identify the shell is to identify a more general group of electrons than to identify the orbital.

Hopefully that is not too confusing!