Answer;
Based on the number of protons present in its nucleus
Explanations:
What is an atomic number?
An atomic number is simply defined as the number of protons present in the nucleus of an atom.
Based on the given definition, we can say that the atomic number of an element is used to identify the number of protons in an atom. These are the defining characteristics of such an element.
The atom of an element can either lose or gain neutrons or electrons without having any effect on its elemental identity. However, if the number of protons of an atom changes, the atom will become a different element entirely.
Based on the above context, we can conclude that the atomic number of an element becomes its identification according to the number of protons present in its nucleus