The atomic number of a given element is equivalent to which of the following?
A)proton number in the nucleus
B)neutron number in the nucleus
C)sum of the protons and neutrons in the nucleus
D)number of electrons in the outer shells

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The atomic number of an element is equivalent to the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom. This is because the atomic number dictates the number of electrons in the neutral atom, and since the atom is neutral, the number of electrons must be equal to the number of protons. Therefore, the atomic number uniquely identifies each element.

The Atomic Number of a Given Element Is Equivalent to Which