Home > Chemistry > Basic Atomic Structure

Why do electrons have negative charges?

Answer 1

Because electronic particles were ASSIGNED this charge...........

Matter consists of electrons, fundamental particles of negligible mass with unit electronic charge, that are conceived to orbit round a massive nuclear core which consists of #"protons"#, fundamental, MASSIVE particles, with an electronic charge OPPOSITE that of the electron, and #"neutrons"#, fundamental, massive particles of ZERO electronic charge.

Protons and electrons simply have OPPOSITE signs to their electronic charges; there is nothing fundamental about the current designation. For generations, quantum chemists have calculated the number of electrons in many electron atoms correctly, but the sign was incorrect because they counted the electrons incorrectly, getting odd instead of even or even instead of odd.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Answer 2

Jose Ayala

Because of their fundamental characteristics as subatomic particles, electrons have an electric charge, which gives them their negative charges.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.