Question

So in an atom, are there the same number of protons as electrons??? If so, then how are some electrons and protons negative and positive. And also, what is the net charge??

***IK that this isn't a math question but no one answers in science . . .

Answer 1

If the atom has no charge (neutral) then there are the same number of protons and electrons. The positive protons cancel out with the negative electrons to produce this neutral state. We can say the net charge is 0 here.

Now if you take away one or more electrons, then there will be more positive protons to outnumber the negative electrons. Overall, the net charge will be positive. For example, if the atom loses 3 electrons, then you'll have a net charge of
`3^(+)`. These positively charged ions are known as cations. You pronounce this as "cat-ion" instead of "catshun".

On the flip side, if you add electrons to an atom, then you'll make the net charge overall to be negative. So let's say we add 4 electrons. We'll have the net charge be
`4^(-)` and this is an anion. To pronounce "anion" you would say "an ion" instead of "anyun".

• cation = positively charged ion (less electrons compared to protons)
• anion = negatively charged ion (more electrons compared to protons)

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In short, the number of protons and electrons are the same if the net charge is 0 and we're not dealing with ions. If you are dealing with ions, then the two counts will not be the same. Note how in the examples above, I didn't change the number of protons. Doing so would change the overall element entirely.

Answer 2

If an atom has the same number of protons and electrons then it is electrically neutral. Not all atoms have to have the same number of atoms because the number of electrons can be changed with the element remaining the same. Protons have a positive charge while electrons have a negative charge. The net charge is dependent on the number of protons and electrons. If it has more protons it would have a higher amount of positive charge therefore making it a positive net charge. The same thing applies with electrons just opposite.