Question

Which subatomic particle determines an element's atomic number?

Answer 1

Answer: protons

Explanation: atoms of each element contain a characteristic number of protons

Answer 2

Answer:

the answer is protons

Explanation: Atoms of each element contain a characteristic number of protons. In fact, the number of protons determines what atom we are looking at (e.g., all atoms with six protons are carbon atoms); the number of protons in an atom is called the atomic number. In contrast, the number of neutrons for a given element can vary.