Why can't an orbital accomodate more than two electrons?

Question

Why can't an orbital accomodate more than two electrons?

Answer 1

Ryan is correct.  There is a general rule in quantum mechanics that two particles with spin 1/2 cannot have exactly the same set of quantum numbers. The spin 1/2 can be either up or down (to be technical, the magnetic spin number ms can be + 1/2 or - 1/2), giving two different possibilities per orbital.

Answer 2

It's called the pauli exclusion principle.  fermions (family electrons are in) cannot be in the same quantum state.  orbital levels contribute to those states.  The reason 2 can be in the same orbit is because electrons can have 'spin up 1/2' and 'spin down 1/2'  No other electrons can be in that orbital or else they have the same quantum state.  this isnt allowed due to quantum mechanics.

Answer 3

Interestingly, there should only be ONE electron per orbital! Electron spin required physicists to have to do something to "counteract" it. The solution was "spin-reversal"; thus two electrons / orbital - NO repulsion, however. Unbelievable!

Well there is another model that has ONE electron / orbital and achieves opposition through opposing orbitals. The model is call the MCAS model.

Answer 4

See an orbital is small and so is an electron. If u noe, electrons are in a state of continuous motion. The orbitl is imaginary,,For studies..

So if there are more than one electron in an orbital, The electrons can collide and i hope u noe that the electrons travel at a reasonably fast speed. So if they collide the energy released can be huge.[E = mc^2]

So think...