Why is the electron charge exactly the same (and opposite) to the proton charge?

Question

Ok, I know that the electron charge is the same but opposite to the proton charge. But why? A proton is much larger, and much more massive than an electron. Why the charge is exactly the same? Why not one is a fraction of the other? Why is not a multiple? Why exactly the same?

Answer 1

Well, for some reason, charge is quantized--when it's free (rather than bound like quarks) it occurs in units of +/-1. There are ideas about why this is so, but nothing proven.

If protons and electrons had different charges, say +2 and -1 instead of +1 and -1, then there would be two electrons per proton.

There is of course the "anthropogenic" argument: if it were any different, then life as we know it would not exist.

Answer 2

In radioactive decay, a neuton can decay into a proton, electron and nuetrino. The neutron has no charge, and neither does the nuetrino, so the proton charge must equal the electron charge to conserve total charge.
An interesting note: a proton is actually made up of two up quarks, which have charge +2/3 and one down quark that has charge -1/3.

Answer 3

i don't know the exact answer for ur question, but electrons and protons are made of the same particles which gives to electron or proton positive or negative charges. and charges does depend on mass; that is a heaver particle does not necessarily have more charges. I think, the different spining or rotatation of particles gives different charges to protons and electrons.
well, ur question needs a high level of knowledge of physics.

Answer 4

an atom as a whole is neutral.It contains electrons revoving around the nucleus.Electron is a negatively charges particle.Nucleus contains protons and neutrons.But neutrons are not having any charge. So to balance the -ve charge we have +vely charges protons.The number of electrons and protons r equal.Hence charge.

Answer 5

they carry the opposite charge to stabilize the atom (as you know) but they have much different mass. the proton is much much larger than the electron. but this does not mean that it has a larger electrical charge.

Answer 6

I don't know. But I do know the reason is NOT because they have to "stabilize the atom". That's like saying peanuts and grapes were created to make sure PB&J sandwiches are around. I think it's a great question, though, and ought to motivate us to better define what this concept of "charge" is. In time...

Answer 7

Stability.

Answer 8

Charge is kind of like mass. We know it's there, we know what it does, and that's about all.

Answer 9

Otherwise, the atom won't be stable!