As covered briefly in the previous topic, we notice
that electrons are arranged in shells around the
nucleus. The shells can hold more and more
electrons as they get further from the nucleus.
the pattern is as follows:
2 (on the shell closet to
the nucleus) 8 (on the
second shell) up to 18 (on
the third shell) and so on.
Energy Levels:
electrons in different shells have differing
amounts of energy that can be represented
on an energy level diagram (see picture
nearby)
we call these shells "main
energy levels" and they are
labelled 1, 2 and 3.