How many orbitals are present in the s subshell?

The s subshell is characterized by having a single type of orbital, known as the s orbital. Each orbital can hold a maximum of two electrons, but the number of orbitals in any given subshell is determined by the subshell's designated quantum number.

For the s subshell, the azimuthal quantum number ( l ) is 0, which corresponds to one orbital. This means that within any energy level where there is an s subshell (for example, 1s, 2s, etc.), only one s orbital exists. Therefore, the total number of orbitals in the s subshell is indeed one.

The other subshells have more than one orbital; for instance, the p subshell contains three orbitals, the d subshell has five orbitals, and the f subshell contains seven orbitals. This structure is based on the quantum mechanical model of the atom and the solutions to the Schrödinger equation, dictating the arrangement of electrons in an atom.