Orbital angular momentum is a crucial concept in quantum mechanics related to the motion of particles in an atom. It is analogous to the angular momentum in classical physics. However, in the quantum realm, it takes on discrete values rather than a continuous range.
In quantum mechanics, the orbital angular momentum of an electron in an atom is quantized and determined by the azimuthal quantum number, denoted as \( l \). The quantum number \( l \) can take on integer values from 0 up to \( n-1 \), where \( n \) is the principal quantum number.
- The formula for orbital angular momentum is \( L = \sqrt{l(l+1)}\hbar \), where \( \hbar \) is the reduced Planck constant.
- This formula shows that the magnitude of the orbital angular momentum depends on \( l \), and is directly proportional to \( l(l+1) \).
- Each value of \( l \) corresponds to a different shape of the electron's orbital, which affects how it moves around the nucleus.
By plugging in the quantum number \( l = 2 \), we find that the orbital angular momentum is \( \sqrt{6}\hbar \), as indicated in the problem's solution.