Question

What do the numbers listed for an element on the periodic table represent?

The number with a higher value is the number of protons, and the number with a lower value is the number of neutrons.
The number with a higher value is the number of electrons, and the number with a lower value is the number of protons.
The number with a higher value is the mass, and the number with a lower value is the number of protons.
The number with a higher value is the number of protons, and the number with a lower value is the mass.

Answer 1

The periodic table contains an enormous amount of important information: Atomic Number: The number of protons in an atom defines what element it is. For example, carbon atoms have six protons, hydrogen atoms have one, and oxygen atoms have eight.

http://www.livescience.com/25300-periodic-table.html

Answer 2

There are lots of numbers on the periodic table: atomic mass, electro negativity, atomic number, etc.

The third choice would be correct.