How to determine how many bonds an atom can form?

In an exothermic reaction the bonding energy of the product is: less than the reactants same as the reactants greater than the reactants dependent upon the presence of a catalyst

Write the formula for the following chemicals. 7. e. trinitrogen tetraoxide a calcium phosphate f. magnesium acetate b. potassium sulfide g nickel(iii) cyanide c carbon dioxide h. silver sulfate d. cobalt(ii) chloride

I'm learning about the periodic tables and what each subject's configuration is. for example, hydrogen is 1s^1, but i don't understand how you get that. can someone me understand how to figure out how to figure this out? sorry if the question makes no sense, but it would really a lot if you could me understand! you so much if you can!