sol Quantum numbers describe an electron\'s shell number, sublevel, orbital, and spin. Each electron in an atom has a unique set of quantum numbers that cannot be duplicated by any other electron in the atom. The first quantum number, n, tells you which shell the electron is in. n is always a positive whole number, so it could be 1, 2, 3, 4, etc . If the electron is in the first shell (the shell closest to the nucleus), then n = 1 for that electron. n increases for electrons in higher shells. The second quantum number, L, tells you what sublevel the electron is in. Recall that there are four common sublevels in atoms. The value of L is also an integer. It can be anywhere from 0 to n - 1. So in n = 1, L can only be 0. If n = 2, L can be 0 or 1. If n = 3, L can be 0, 1, or 2. The value of L corresponds to a particular sublevel. For example, if an electron is in an s-type sublevel, then its L value is 0. If it\'s in a p-type sublevel, its L value is 1. d-sublevel electrons have L = 2 and f-sublevel electrons have L = 3. The third quantum number, m, tells you which orbital an electron is in. Each of the sublevels is further divided into orbitals, which are regions of probability where electrons exist. The value of m can be anywhere from -L to +L. If L = 0 (s-type sublevel), there is only one possible value of m: 0. . If L = 1 (p- type sublevel), then there are three possible values of m: -1, 0, and +1. If L = 2 (d-type sublevel), there are five possible values of m: -2, -1, 0, +1, and +2. If L = 3 (f-type sublevel), there are seven possible values of m: -3, -2, -1, 0, +1, +2, and +3. The last quantum number is the spin quantum number, s. Each of the orbitals described before can hold up to two electrons, but they MUST have opposite spins. The spins are defined as +1/2 and -1/2. By convention, the first electron in an orbital is assigned a spin of +1/2, and the second electron (if there is one) gets a spin of -1/2. Solution sol Quantum numbers describe an electron\'s shell number, sublevel, orbital, and spin. Each electron in an atom has a unique set of quantum numbers that cannot be duplicated by any other electron in the atom. The first quantum number, n, tells you which shell the electron is in. n is always a positive whole number, so it could be 1, 2, 3, 4, etc . If the electron is in the first shell (the shell closest to the nucleus), then n = 1 for that electron. n increases for electrons in higher shells. The second quantum number, L, tells you what sublevel the electron is in. Recall that there are four common sublevels in atoms. The value of L is also an integer. It can be anywhere from 0 to n - 1. So in n = 1, L can only be 0. If n = 2, L can be 0 or 1. If n = 3, L can be 0, 1, or 2. The value of L corresponds to a particular sublevel. For example, if an electron is in an s-type sublevel, then its L value is 0. If it\'s in a p-type sublevel, its L value is 1. d-sublevel electrons have L = 2 and f-sublevel electrons have L = 3. The third .