An atom is structured with electron shells, each capable of holding a specific maximum number of electrons. The formula to determine the maximum number of electrons in a shell is given by:
Maximum Electrons = 2 × n2
In this formula, n represents the shell number. For example, in the first shell where n equals 1, the calculation is:
Maximum Electrons = 2 × 12 = 2 × 1 = 2
This indicates that the first shell can hold a maximum of 2 electrons. Moving to the second shell, where n equals 2, the calculation becomes:
Maximum Electrons = 2 × 22 = 2 × 4 = 8
Thus, the second shell can accommodate up to 8 electrons. This relationship allows for easy determination of the total number of electrons in any given shell based solely on its shell number.