Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
magnetic quantum number
References
Britannica AI Icon

magnetic quantum number

physics
Written by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last updated

Quick Summary

The magnetic quantum number is an integer that specifies the component of an electron's, atom's, or molecule's quantized angular momentum along the direction of an applied magnetic field. In atomic physics, for a given orbital quantum number (l), there are 2l + 1 possible values for the magnetic quantum number (ml), ranging from -l to +l. These values restrict the component of angular momentum along a specific axis, a phenomenon known as space quantization. This concept is fundamental in understanding the behavior and states of electrons within atoms, particularly in relation to external magnetic fields.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
4 Britannica Sources
  1. magnetic quantum number
  2. subatomic particle - Spin
  3. spectroscopy - Angular momentum quantum numbers
  4. quantum number

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.