Question

helium (he) and neon (ne) are elements in group 8a of the periodic table. how do the electron dot diagrams of these elements compare?
the electron dot diagram of helium has six fewer dots than the electron dot diagram of neon.
the electron dot diagram of helium has eight fewer dots than the electron dot diagram of neon.
both the electron dot diagram of helium and the electron dot diagram of neon have two dots.
both the electron dot diagram of helium and the electron dot diagram of neon have eight dots.

Explanation:

Electron dot diagrams show valence electrons. Helium (Group 8A) has 2 valence electrons (full 1s orbital). Neon (Group 8A) has 8 valence electrons (full 2s²2p⁶). The first option states helium has 6 fewer dots than neon (8-2=6), which is correct. The repeated first option is identical, so it is also correct.

Answer:

A. The electron dot diagram of helium has six fewer dots than the electron dot diagram of neon.
A. The electron dot diagram of helium has six fewer dots than the electron dot diagram of neon.