Geo-Scientist Prelims 2026 Chemistry Q1: Radial distribution function does NOT depend upon

Answer: (d) Orientation of orbital

Radial distribution function = 4πr²R²ₙ,ₗ(r). It uses only the radial part R(r) of ψ, which depends on n and l and on the distance r. Orientation comes from the angular part Yₗ,ₘ(θ,φ), i.e. from m, which is integrated out. So the RDF does not depend on the orientation of the orbital → (d). Remember: number of radial nodes = n − l − 1, independent of m.