Why is atomic number important

In addition, each player's jersey has a unique number to distinguish him or her from their teammates. Imagine how confusing it would be if members of both teams wore the same-colored jerseys, or all the members of a team had the same number on their jerseys. How could anyone tell the athletes apart? It's often useful to have ways to signify different people or objects, like athletes on teams. The same is true of atoms. It's important to be able to distinguish atoms of one element from atoms of other elements.

Elements are pure substances that make up all other matter, so each one is given a unique name. You can see other examples in the figure below. The symbols in the figure above would be more useful if they revealed more information about the atoms that they represent. For example, it would be useful to know the numbers of protons and neutrons in the atoms.

That's where atomic number and mass number come in. The number of protons in an atom is called its atomic number. This number is very important because it is unique for atoms of a given element.

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Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter. Updated January 12, Featured Video. Cite this Article Format. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph. What Is the Atomic Number? Clickable Periodic Table of the Elements.

Avogadro's Number Example Chemistry Problem. How to Use a Periodic Table of Elements. Hydrogen Facts - H or Atomic Number 1. Overview of High School Chemistry Topics. Atomic Number 2 on the Periodic Table. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for ThoughtCo. The atomic number specifies the number of protons in an element. The atomic number also determines the number of electrons and dictates the behavior of an element.

The atomic number is the same as the number of protons in an atom or element. The protons have a positive charge so the atomic number gives the positive charge on the atom or element.

A neutral atom will have an equal number of negative electrons to balance the number of protons. So the atomic number also gives the number of electrons in a neutral atom. The number of electrons determines the electron configuration of the atom.

The electron configuration determines the behavior of the atom or element. The atomic number tells us important information: The number of protons, the positive charge, the number of electrons the negative charge, and the typical behavior of the element based on the electron configuration.

Why are atomic numbers important?