Why is 3s lower in energy than 3p?
Also to know is, why is 3p higher in energy than 3s?
Energies of Orbitals An electron in the 3s orbital is more likely to be close to the nucleus than is an electron in the 3p orbital; an electron in the 3p orbital, in turn, has a greater probability of being close to the nucleus than does one in the 3d orbital.
Similarly, you may ask, do the 3s 3p and 3d orbitals have different energies?
For an atom that contains only one electron, there is no difference between the energies of the different subshells within a shell. The 3s, 3p, and 3d orbitals, for example, have the same energy in a hydrogen atom. Within a given shell, the s orbitals always have the lowest energy.
The 3p is more energetic then the 2p. The energy of orbitals, subshells, and shells, are given as negative numbers—as potential energy. As their energies approaches zero , their potential energy increases. The energy of some subshells are very close together, such as the 4s and the 3d.