Question

What do s, p, d, f stand for?

Answer 1

s, p, d, f -

• The names of the orbitals s, p, d, and f stand for names given to the groups of lines that are noted originally in the spectra of the alkali metals.
• These line groups are called the sharp, principal, diffuse, and fundamental.
• They are the s-orbital, p-orbital, d-orbital, and f-orbital.
• Orbitals are mathematical terms in chemistry and physics called a wave function.
• These define the characteristic properties of no more than two electrons, as in a particle, in the proximity of an atomic nucleus, or a system of nuclei.
• The different values for Azimuthal quantum number $\mathrm{l}:0,1,2,3$ are $\mathrm{s},\mathrm{p},\mathrm{d},\mathrm{f}$ respectively.
• The following figures represent the shapes of some orbitals: