The principal quantum number, nn, designates the principal electron shell. Because n describes the most probable distance of the electrons from the nucleus, the larger the number n is, the farther the electron is from the nucleus, the larger the size of the orbital, and the larger the atom is. n can be any positive integer starting at 1, as n=1n=1 designates the first principal shell (the innermost shell). The first principal shell is also called the ground state, or lowest energy state. This explains why nn can not be 0 or any negative integer, because there exists no atoms with zero or a negative amount of energy levels/principal shells. When an electron is in an excited state or it gains energy, it may jump to the second principle shell, where n=2n=2. This is called absorption because the electron is "absorbing" photons, or energy. Known as emission, electrons can also "emit" energy as they jump to lower principle shells, where n decreases by whole numbers. As the energy of the electron increases, so does the principal quantum number, e.g., n = 3 indicates the third principal shell, n = 4 indicates the fourth principal shell, and so on.
