Final answer:
Henry Moseley associated the wavelength of X-rays emitted from an element with the atomic number of that element. The square root of the X-ray frequency was found to be directly proportional to the atomic number. This discovery led to the arrangement of elements in the periodic table based on atomic number.
Step-by-step explanation:
In his experiments, Henry Moseley associated the wavelength of X-rays emitted from an element with the atomic number of that element.
By studying the X-ray spectra of various elements, Moseley found that the wavelength of the X-rays emitted was related to the atomic number of the element. He discovered that the square root of the X-ray frequency was directly proportional to the atomic number.
This led to the conclusion that atomic number, defined as the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom, should be used to arrange the elements in the periodic table rather than atomic mass.