Question

How do protons identify an atom?

Answer 1

Hint: The atom or the chemical element is represented in the periodic table in the form of a symbol where the atomic number of the element is written below the symbol and the atomic weight above the symbol.

Complete step by step answer:
The atom is the simplest form of matter which combines with other atoms to form molecules. There were many atomic structures and assumptions made by different scientists regarding the structure of atoms. At last it was concluded that the atom is the simplest unit consisting of a nucleus at the center. There are three subatomic particles of atoms: Protons, neutrons and electrons. The protons are considered as the positively charged particles, neutrons are the neutral charged particles and the electrons are the negatively charged particles. It was said that the electrons move around the nucleus in a circular orbit and the positively charged protons and the neutral charged neutrons are concentrated in the nucleus present in the center of the atom. The mass of protons and neutrons are relatively the same and they combine to give the mass number.
In an atom or a chemical element, it is represented by a specific atomic number which keeps on increasing as we move in the periodic table. The atomic number of the atom is equal to the number of protons and also to the number of electrons.
Example: For helium atoms the atomic number is 2, number of protons is 2 and the number of electrons is 2.
This is how protons help to identify the atom or the chemical element.

Note: Generally most of the chemical elements have different isotopes which are defined as the species which contain the same atomic number but different mass number. The number of protons for all the isotopes of an atom are the same.