Question

What do you understand by the term ‘atomic number’?

Answer 1

The atomic number is the number of protons inside an atom. It is the basic characteristic of an element. It is denoted by ‘Z’.

For example, hydrogen has one proton and hence its atomic number, Z=1 and it is written as ${}_1{}^1\mathrm{H}$.

In the periodic table, elements are arranged in the increasing order of atomic number.

Atoms of different elements will have different atomic numbers.