Which electron shell can accommodate the largest number of electrons?

The M shell is indeed the correct answer because it can hold more electrons compared to the other electron shells. The capacity of a shell to accommodate electrons is determined by the formula 2n², where n represents the principal quantum number, which corresponds to the shell level.

For the M shell, which is the third shell (n=3), the calculation would be:

2(3)² = 2(9) = 18

This indicates that the M shell can hold up to 18 electrons.

In contrast, the K shell (n=1), which is the first shell, can hold a maximum of 2 electrons (2(1)² = 2). The L shell (n=2) can accommodate up to 8 electrons (2(2)² = 8). The N shell (n=4), which is not the correct answer in this case, can hold up to 32 electrons but is not relevant here since the M shell has a capacity that is already less than that of the N shell. Thus, while both the M and N shells can hold a considerable number of electrons, the question specifies which shell can accommodate the largest number of electrons, and the M shell is the highest of the