The shape of a p orbital is

  • A. spherical
  • B. dumbbell shaped
  • C. doughnut shaped
  • D. tetrahedral

Explanation

A p orbital has two lobes on opposite sides of the nucleus with a node at the nucleus itself, giving the familiar dumbbell shape, and the three p orbitals lie along the x, y and z axes. Spherical shape belongs to the s orbital. Tetrahedral describes a molecular geometry rather than the shape of a single orbital.

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