Home
/
Physics
/
Which one of the following statements explains why atoms have no overall charge? There is the same amount of negative charge in an atom as there is positive charge. The electrons ; and protons are both located in the nucleus. The relative masses of electrons and protons balance each other out.

Question

Which one of the following statements explains why atoms have no overall charge? There is the same amount of negative charge in an atom as there is positive charge. The electrons ; and protons are both located in the nucleus. The relative masses of electrons and protons balance each other out.

Which one of the following statements explains why atoms have no overall charge? There is the same amount of negative charge in an atom as there is positive charge. The electrons ; and protons are both located in the nucleus. The relative masses of electrons and protons balance each other out.

expert verifiedVerification of experts

Answer

4.6209 Voting
avatar
ThaddeusProfessional · Tutor for 6 years

Answer

There is the same amount of negative charge in an atom as there is positive charge.

Explain

## Step 1:<br />Let's first look at the question and each of the options. The question is asking us why atoms generally have no overall charge. <br /><br />## Step 2:<br />Understanding the structure of an atom is crucial in this scenario. <br /><br />An atom is composed of three subatomic particles: protons, electrons, and neutrons. Protons carry a positive charge, electrons carry a negative charge, and neutrons have no charge. If the number of protons (positive) and electrons (negative) are the same, the positive and negative charges balance each other out whereas the neutrons present in the nucleus will not affect the overall charge.<br /><br />## Step3: <br />Now, looking at our options, we can find the appropriate response:<br /><br />"The same amount of negative charge in an atom as there is positive charge." -Yes, as mentioned, the equal numbers of electrons and protons balance the charges resulting in no net charge.<br /><br />"The electrons and protons are both located in the nucleus." -No, electrons are located in the electron shells which surround the nucleus where protons and neutrons reside.<br /><br />"The relative masses of electrons and protons balance each other out." -No, the balance of atoms isn't due to their masses; electron mass is much lighter than proton mass. The balance in charge exists due to the numerical equality of protons and electrons.
Click to rate:

Hot Questions

More x