Which statement best explains how electrons in the 2p subshell are similar to passengers getting on a bus?

• A. Electrons must fill the lowest energy subshell first, just as passengers must board the bus from the back first.
• B. Electrons fill each orbital singly before pairing, just as passengers fill empty seats one at a time before sitting together.
• C. Electrons pair up in each orbital immediately, just as passengers always sit together when boarding.
• D. Electrons randomly occupy any orbital, just as passengers choose seats without any order.

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the analogy: The problem compares how electrons fill the 2p subshell orbitals to how passengers choose seats on a bus.
2. Recall Hund's Rule: Electrons occupy orbitals singly first, with parallel spins, before pairing up in the same orbital. This minimizes electron repulsion and stabilizes the atom.
3. Relate Hund's Rule to the bus analogy: Just as passengers prefer to sit alone in empty seats before sharing a seat with someone else, electrons fill each orbital singly before pairing.
4. Evaluate the other options: Electrons do not necessarily fill the lowest energy subshell first within the 2p orbitals (they are degenerate), and they do not pair immediately or occupy orbitals randomly.
5. Conclude that the best explanation is that electrons fill each orbital singly before pairing, similar to passengers filling empty seats one at a time before sitting together.