What is the angular momentum of an electron in a hydrogen atom?

ZERO

Any electron in a spherically-symmetric state corresponds to deterministically zero total angular momentum, and 0 angular moment along any direction. Spherically symmetric states correspond with the s orbitals (1s-2s-3s, etc.).

Because angular momentum operators that correspond to two different directions don’t commute, it is only possible to specify the angular motion in one direction.

Leave a Comment