Chemistry

Question Analysis
This question tests the student's ability to determine the electron configuration of an element based on its atomic number and the rules for orbital filling.

Key Concept Explanation
The electron configuration of an element is determined by the Aufbau principle, which states that electrons fill the lowest energy orbitals first. For silicon (atomic number 14), the electron configuration follows the order: 1s → 2s → 2p → 3s → 3p.

Step-by-step Solution
1. Determine the total number of electrons: Silicon has 14 electrons.
2. Fill the orbitals in the order of increasing energy: 1s² (2 electrons), 2s² (2 electrons), 2p⁶ (6 electrons), 3s² (2 el...