How does the number of separate electrons shown for the group 1 metals compared to the number of atoms?

In group 1 metals, such as lithium, sodium, and potassium, each atom has one valence electron in its outermost shell. Therefore, for every atom of a group 1 metal, there is one separate electron associated with it. This means that the number of separate electrons is equal to the number of atoms in a sample of these metals. Thus, if you have, for example, five atoms of sodium, you would also have five separate valence electrons.