The reason for the decrease in the atomic size of elements across a period is that
-
nuclear charge increases while the outermost electrons are drawn closer to the nucleus
- nuclear charge decreases while the outermost electrons are drawn closer to the nucleus
- valence electrons increase across the period while the valence shell remains constant
- nuclear charge decreases while the distance of the valence shell from the nucleus is increasing
The correct answer is: A
Explanation
This is caused by the increase in the number of protons and electrons across a period.