Final answer:
The nucleus is at the center of an atom, consisting primarily of protons and neutrons. It is extremely dense, positively charged, and hosts nearly all an atom's mass, whereas electrons orbit this central region, balancing the atom's overall charge.
Step-by-step explanation:
The nucleus is a central feature of an atom, characterized by its massive size relative to the atom and its heavy concentration of mass. Comprised of protons and neutrons, the nucleus is the core around which electrons orbit. Protons confer a positive charge to the nucleus, while neutrons are electrically neutral.
Though the nucleus appears tiny compared to the entire atom—if an atom were the size of a baseball stadium, the nucleus would be the size of a baseball—it contains the majority of an atom's mass. In most atoms, except for common hydrogen which has no neutrons, protons, and neutrons are bound together in the nucleus, with electrons residing in a cloud around this central structure, balancing the positive charge and rendering the atom electrically neutral.