Why does electronegativity decrease as you go down a group? As you go down electromagnetic force group, the is weakened with Both of these As you go down group, the outer electrons are further from the nucleus None of these

## Step 1<br />Electronegativity is a measure of the ability of an atom to attract electrons towards itself in a chemical bond. It is a key concept in chemistry, particularly in the study of chemical bonding.<br /><br />## Step 2<br />As we move down a group in the periodic table, the number of electron shells increases. This means that the outermost electrons are further away from the nucleus.<br /><br />## Step 3<br />The outermost electrons are shielded by the inner electron shells. This shielding effect reduces the pull of the nucleus on the outermost electrons.<br /><br />## Step 4<br />The shielding effect is due to the fact that the inner electron shells repel the outermost electrons. This repulsion reduces the pull of the nucleus on the outermost electrons.<br /><br />## Step 5<br />As a result of the shielding effect and the increased distance from the nucleus, the ability of the atom to attract electrons towards itself decreases. This is why electronegativity decreases as we move down a group in the periodic table.