116k views
3 votes
How much electrical charge does an atom with 6 protons, 6 neutrons, and 5 electrons have?

A) A total charge of +17
B) A negative charge of -5
C) A positive charge of +7
D) A positive charge of +1
E) None of the above

User Lochi
by
7.8k points

1 Answer

4 votes

Final answer:

An atom with 6 protons and 5 electrons has a positive charge of +1 because the electrical charge is the difference between the number of protons and electrons, which is 6 - 5 = +1.

Step-by-step explanation:

An atom with 6 protons, 6 neutrons, and 5 electrons would have an electrical charge determined by the difference between the number of protons (positive charge) and the number of electrons (negative charge). Since each proton carries a +1 charge and each electron carries a -1 charge, the total charge of the atom can be calculated using the following equation:

Atomic charge = number of protons - number of electrons

In this case, the atomic charge would be:

6 protons (6 * +1 charge each) - 5 electrons (5 * -1 charge each) = +1

Therefore, the correct answer is D) A positive charge of +1.

User Arun Padule
by
8.1k points