2007-09-25 06:42:21 · 8 answers · asked by okrusoup 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Each proton bring a +1 change to the atom, and each electron -1. Neutron are neutrals. So the only way to get a neutral atom is to have as many +1 as of -1, hence number of electrons and number of protons must match.
2007-09-25 06:46:38 · answer #1 · answered by Vincent G 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Do you mean protons and electrons? Neutrons have no charge, and you can different types of the same element with different numbers of neutrons (i.e., different isotopes of carbon have varying numbers of neutrons). Atoms are neutral if they have the same number of protons and electrons. Each proton basically has a +1 charge, while each electron has a -1 charge. If an atom has more protons than electrons, it will have a positive charge, and vice versa for electrons. If an atom is neutral, all the +1 charges of the protons are 'cancelled out' by all the -1 charges of the electrons.
2016-05-18 02:17:45 · answer #2 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Since protons have a positive charge and electrons have a negative charge, in order to cancel each others' charges, there has to be the same number of electrons and protons.
When you don't have the same number of electrons or protons, you have an ion, like Ca 2+ (calcium with a 2+ charge - it has lost 2 electrons) or Cl- (chlorine with a -1 charge - it lost one proton). If you don't see a charge written above the element in superscript, then it's a neutral atom and has an equal number of protons and electrons. How can you tell how many protons & electrons a neutral atom has? Look at the periodic table. Below the element's abbreviated name is the mass number (protons + neutrons) and above it somewhere is the atomic number (called "z") which is its number of protons. Since # of protons = # of neutrons in a neutral atom, you can look at the atomic number "z" and see how many the atom has.
2007-09-25 06:49:46 · answer #3 · answered by LLH 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Numbers Of Protons
2016-12-17 18:41:55 · answer #4 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because the electron caries a net negative unit charge and the proton caries a net positive unit charge. Thus, for the atom to be neutral, there must be the same number of protons as electrons.
Doug
2007-09-25 06:46:05 · answer #5 · answered by doug_donaghue 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
protons have a charge of +e
electrons have a charge of -e
neutrons have no charge
total charge = e (#protons - #electrons)
So for a neutral atom , total charge = 0, so
#protons = #electrons
2007-09-25 06:48:49 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Reactions depend on pos and neg so if it is going to be neutral the + and - need to balance each other out.
2007-09-25 06:48:44 · answer #7 · answered by Lollipop 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
to equate each others charge
2007-09-25 06:45:27 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋