Question

Statement 1: Two different elements can have same number of protons.
Statement 2: The atomic number is the number of protons in an atom.

• A. Both statements are true.
• B. Both statements are false.
• C. Only statement 1 is true.
• D. Only statement 2 is true.

Answer 1

The correct option is D Only statement 2 is true.

Atomic number is the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom. This number is unique for each element. Hence two different elements cannot have same number of protons.
For example, carbon has six protons in its nucleus and oxygen has eight protons in its nucleus. Hence their atomic numbers are 6 and 8 respectively.