What happens to the atomic radius as you move down a group in the periodic table?

As you move down a group in the periodic table, the atomic radius increases. This increase in atomic size occurs because with each successive element, an additional electron shell is added to the atom. These added shells increase the distance between the outermost electrons and the nucleus, resulting in a larger atomic radius.

Furthermore, while the increasing number of protons in the nucleus does lead to a stronger positive charge, the effect of added electron shells outweighs this force due to the increased distance, which leads to a greater atomic size. Therefore, the correct understanding of atomic radius as you descend a group is that it consistently increases due to the addition of electron shells.