Final answer:
A hydrogen atom is neutral because it has one electron and one proton, whose charges cancel each other out. The equation modeling this is: Charge of proton (+1) + Charge of electron (-1) = Net charge (0). This concept is also used in Lewis structures to verify the neutrality of molecules.
Step-by-step explanation:
A hydrogen atom maintains a zero charge overall because it contains one negatively charged electron and one positively charged proton. The equation to model this situation, which is essentially a reflection of the balance of charges, would be:
Charge of proton (+1) + Charge of electron (-1) = Net charge (0)
This simplification represents how the positive and negative charges cancel each other out, resulting in a hydrogen atom with no net charge. A similar approach is used in Lewis structures to calculate the formal charges on atoms within a molecule, ensuring that the sum of the formal charges equals the total charge of the molecule or ion. For instance, in water (H2O), each hydrogen atom carries a formal charge of zero and the total positive "charge" from both hydrogen atoms is +2, balancing the -2 from the oxygen atom, resulting in an overall neutral molecule.