Answer the following question given this paragraph: 

The highest-numbered shell is the third shell, which has 2 electrons in the 3s subshell and 3 electrons in the 3p subshell. That gives a total of 5 electrons, so neutral phosphorus atoms have 5 valence electrons. The 10 remaining electrons, from the first and second shells, are core electrons.


Q: How many valence electrons do neutral phosphorus atoms have?

 Choices:

- nine

- three

- four

- five

A:
five
