Atomic number ranges in "integral units"? My textbook says the following:


  For an electrically neutral or complete atom, the atomic number also equals the number of electrons. This atomic number ranges in integral units from 1 for hydrogen to 92 for uranium, the highest of the naturally occurring elements.


I'm wondering what is meant by "integral units" in this context?

I would greatly appreciate it if people could please clarify this.
This is only a way of saying that the atomic number will never be a decimal number like 1.5 or 16.8

One consequence is that if you carry out an experiment which gives you a decimal number as an atomic number, then you must have a mixture or something is wrong.