The electron configuration for cobalt is 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d7 4s2. The first number in each group identifies the energy level of the electrons. The letter represents the type of shell in which the electrons sit, while the final number denotes the number of electrons in the shell.
The electron configuration for cobalt can be shortened to [Ar] 3d7 4s2, where [Ar] represents the electron configuration for the element argon, which is equal to the first five terms in the full electron configuration for cobalt. The electron configuration for an element can be determined based on the column and row in which the element is located on the periodic table.
