how many electrons can a p orbital hold
We also have to know how many electrons can fit into each state. There is only one s-orbital per shell, and it can hold a total of 2 electrons. There are three total p-orbitals (ml = -1,0,1) that can hold a total of 6 electrons (because each ml can have an ms of +1/2 or -1/2. There are five d-orbitals (ml = -2,-1,0,1,2) that can hold a total of 10 electrons. Here's an example to help put this in context. We need to write the electron configuration for an oxygen atom. First, go to the periodic table and find how many electrons oxygen has.