use the periodic table to answer the questions below. which diagram shows the correct electron configuration…

Explanation:

Step1: Determine nitrogen's atomic number

Nitrogen has an atomic number of 7, so it has 7 electrons.

Step2: Apply electron - filling rules

Electrons fill the 1s orbital first (2 electrons), then the 2s orbital (2 electrons), and then the 2p orbital. According to Hund's rule, electrons in the 2p orbitals will fill singly first before pairing up. So, the 2p orbitals for nitrogen will have 3 unpaired electrons. The electron configuration for nitrogen is $1s^{2}2s^{2}2p^{3}$. In orbital - box notation, the 1s and 2s orbitals are filled with 2 electrons each (spin - paired), and the 2p orbitals have 3 unpaired electrons.

Answer:

The second diagram (where there are two spin - paired electrons in 1s, two spin - paired electrons in 2s, and three unpaired electrons in 2p) shows the correct electron configuration for nitrogen.