How is it that atoms with equal numbers of protons and electrons are described as "electrically neutral" when the proton is 1,800 times more massive than the electron?
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Do not confuse mass with charge. Although the proton is more massive, the magnitude of its positive charge is equal to the magnitude of the electron's negative charge. Hence, neutral atoms! |
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Due to different masses the charge distribution within an atom is a complicated function of distance. But outside the atom, at far distances the electric and magnetic fields become very small, nearly zero so at far distances the atom is like an empty space - nothing reveals its presence. If you do not touch it, you do not feel it. |
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