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The Periodic Table organizes all chemical elements in order based on their atomic number, which is the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom.
Each element has a unique number of protons, and this number determines the element’s position in the table. For example:
Hydrogen has 1 proton → comes first
Helium has 2 protons → comes second
Lithium has 3 protons → comes third
The number of electrons in a neutral atom is equal to the number of protons, but it is the proton (atomic) number that decides the element’s place, not the electrons. Neutrons do not determine the position; they only affect the atomic mass of the element.
Understanding this helps students know:
How many protons are in the atom
How many electrons a neutral atom has
Which group or column the element belongs to in the Periodic Table
In short, the proton number (atomic number) is what decides the position of an element in the Periodic Table. This is a key concept in Chemistry and atomic structure.
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