third way to determine how many equivalent protons there are is to look at the atom attached to. the proton (usually a carbon) and observe what that atom is bonded to, and then the atom bonded. to that, all the way until a difference is observed.
The goal of imperialism is  to exercise economic and political control over a dependent territory. Such control is often accomplished through settlement, sovereignty or less direct methods.
It would... American imperialism was motivated by four main factors: economic, political, geographic, and cultural. The economic factors were desires to find new markets for trade. By extending colonial power throughout the world, the US would have new trading partners and markets.