Question 3 What is the role of the electron in an atom?
a
b
Electrons are found inside the nucleus and carry a neutral charge.
Electrons circle the nucleus and have a positive charge.
Electrons circle the nucleus and have a negative charge.
Electrons are found inside the nucleus and carry a negative charge.
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Od

Electrons are one of three main types of particles that make up atoms. The other two types are protons and neutrons. Unlike protons and neutrons, which consist of smaller, simpler particles, electrons are fundamental particles that do not consist of smaller particles. They are a type of fundamental particles called leptons. All leptons have an electric charge of −1 or 0 . Electrons are extremely small. The mass of an electron is only about 1/2000 the mass of a proton or neutron, so electrons contribute virtually nothing to the total mass of an atom. Electrons have an electric charge of −1 , which is equal but opposite to the charge of a proton, which is +1 . All atoms have the same number of electrons as protons, so the positive and negative charges "cancel out", making atoms electrically neutral.