Here's why:

* Carbon (C) is in group 4 of the periodic table, meaning it has 4 valence electrons.

* Fluorine (F) is in group 17, meaning it has 7 valence electrons.

* To achieve a stable octet, carbon needs to share 4 electrons, and each fluorine needs to share 1 electron.

* Therefore, one carbon atom bonds with two fluorine atoms, each sharing a pair of electrons.

This results in the formula CF₂.