Question

what does this number represent?
number of electrons
number of protons and neutrons
number of protons
number of neutrons

Explanation:

In the periodic table, the atomic number (the number at the top of the element's cell) represents the number of protons in an atom of that element. For a neutral atom, the number of electrons is equal to the number of protons. The number of neutrons is calculated by subtracting the atomic number from the atomic mass (the number at the bottom of the element's cell, here \(107.8682\approx108\), so \(108 - 47=61\) neutrons approximately). The sum of protons and neutrons is the mass number (approximate atomic mass). So, the number \(47\) (atomic number) specifically represents the number of protons.

Answer:

Number of protons