When moving across a period from left to right in the periodic table (excluding transition elements) which trend occurs?

The energy levels increase by one.
The energy levels decrease by one.
Valence electrons increase by one.
Valence electrons decrease by one.

1 answer

When moving across a period from left to right in the periodic table (excluding transition elements), the correct trend is that valence electrons increase by one.

As you move from left to right, each element has one more proton and one more electron than the previous element, which means that the number of valence electrons (the electrons in the outermost shell) increases by one for each consecutive element within that period.