Electron configuration

Electron configuration is a way of representing atoms in the smallest parts possible. It uses a special shorthand to write out how many electrons (tiny particles that have a negative charge) are in each energy level around the atom's nucleus (the part with a positive charge). For example, the electron configuration of helium (which has two electrons) would be written as 1s2. This means that one electron is in the first energy level (which is represented by the letter "s") and the other is in the same energy level.