How many energy levels can an atom have?
1 Answer
An atom has an infinite number of energy levels available, depending on how much energy its electrons have absorbed, causing the electrons to be in an excited state.
Explanation:
Every atom has an infinite number of energy levels available, depending on how much energy has been absorbed. In the ground state, there are seven (known/most-often-seen) energy levels which may contain electrons. The period number is the same as the highest energy level in that period at ground state. However, when an electron is excited from absorbing energy, it can go to a higher energy level than its ground state.
To be clear, the primary difference between ground state and excited state is that the excited state has easier access to higher energy levels. It does not change between them the number of energy levels that exist for the atom, nor does it change the identity of the atom.
