How many different types of orbitals are there for each electron shell? 

For each electron shell, there are four different types of orbitals: s, p, d, and f orbitals.

For each electron shell (n):

  • First shell (n=1): 1 type (s)
  • Second shell (n=2): 2 types (s, p)
  • Third shell (n=3): 3 types (s, p, d)
  • Fourth shell (n=4): 4 types (s, p, d, f)

The number of orbital types increases with n, corresponding to the angular momentum quantum number (l) values from 0 to n−1.