Shell, Subshell, Orbital Terminology

[Ariel Fern 2B]

Just wanted to share a clarification on something I used to mix up all the time. Shells refer to the principal quantum number (n); subshells refer to the angular momentum quantum number (l); and orbitals refer to the magnetic quantum number/subshell orientation (m_l). When something is referred to as a s-orbital or p-orbital, that refers to the orientation of the s or p subshell. I used to think that s, p, f, d, etc. were actually the orbitals because they were referred to that way, but I realized that they are actually subshells! Hope others weren't confused by this because it threw me for a loop at first!

[Ellen Amico 2L]

I was super confused about this in class at first too but this is really helpful! Thanks so much for the tip!

[Sebastian Lee 1L]

Yes, I believe that is correct! I also used to think that the subshells were "orbitals".

[Sjeffrey_1C]

This is really important, thanks! I feel like most high school teachers didn't make those distinctions very clear, so it's easy to get confused.

[Shutong Hou_1F]

Thanks a lot for your clarification for these clarification of terminologies. I have been confused by these terms while reading questions to solve for days.

[Nare Arakelian Dis 3E]

So would it be correct to say that there are 3 p subshells in each shell or energy level?

[IreneGi2I]

I have a little confusion about shell (n). How do we determine what n is?

[Abigail_Hagen2G]

n is just the energy level of the electron, the principal quantum number, and sort of shows the size of the orbital

[Kimme Chun 1I]

This is super helpful. Thank you for the clarification.