Question

What is the maximum number of shells a shotgun used to hunt game birds with can hold?

a) 2
b) 3
c) 5
d) 7

Answer 1

Nitrogen, with an atomic number of seven, has seven electrons which fill two electron shells; the first shell holds 2 electrons, and the second holds the remaining 5.

Step-by-step explanation:

Nitrogen has an atomic number of seven, which means it has seven protons and, when neutral, seven electrons. In a neutral atom, the electrons will fill the electron shells starting from the lowest energy level. The first shell can hold a maximum of 2 electrons, which leaves 5 more for the next shell(s). The second shell can hold up to 8 electrons, but since nitrogen only has 5 left after filling the first shell, these will fill into the second shell. Therefore, nitrogen has two electron shells when it's in its most commonly found state.