Which of the following terms describes orbitals with similar energy levels?

Degenerate orbitals are those that possess the same energy level. In quantum mechanics and atomic theory, orbitals are described by quantum numbers, and when multiple orbitals share the same principal quantum number and orbital angular momentum quantum number, they are said to be degenerate. This typically occurs in hydrogen-like atoms where different orbitals within the same principal energy level—such as 2s and 2p orbitals—may be at the same energy due to a lack of additional factors (like electron-electron repulsions in multi-electron systems that can lead to slight energy differences).

Understanding the difference between these terms is crucial in chemistry. For instance, while quantum orbitals refer broadly to the regions in space where electrons can be found around an atom, and hybrid orbitals involve the mixing of atomic orbitals to form new, equivalent orbitals for bonding purposes, degenerate orbitals specifically address the concept of energy equivalence. Pairwise orbitals is not a standard term in quantum chemistry, adding further clarity to why degenerate orbitals is the appropriate choice in this context.