What one characteristic of an atom determines what type of element it is?

1)each group 16 element has how many valence electrons? ( )4 ( )6 ( )8 ( )16 2)how many dots appear in the dot structure for calcium ion, ca2+? ( )zero ( )one ( )two ( )eight 3) which of the following atoms forms a cation to obtain an octet of outer shell electrons? ( )magnesium ( )oxygen ( )fluorine ( )helium 4) an al3+ ion contains 13 protons and 10 electrons. ( )true ( )false 5) valence and non-valence electrons are represented in lewis dot structures. ( )true ( )false

Three alkali metals in group 1 are a. calcium, strontium, barium b. boron, aluminum, gallium c. sodium, potassium, rubidium d. fluorine, iodine, chlorine

What is the independent variable in this investigation? mass volume sample number substance density