Let's go over a few examples to further understand this relationship. The letters after the f sub-shell just follow letter f in alphabetical order, except the letter j and those already used. Therefore, an equal chance of discovering the electron in any direction from the nucleus. Create your account. The lowest possible value of l is 0, and its highest possible value, depending on the principal quantum number, is n - 1. As a teaching technique, instructors compare electron spin to the planet rotating on its own axis every 24 hours. There are four atomic subshells that are labeled as s , p , d , or f , and each angular quantum number value corresponds to a different subshell. Orbital size and energy level. Understand what the angular momentum quantum number is.