Question
Question: How big is an electron compared with a proton?...
How big is an electron compared with a proton?
Solution
In order to answer the question, first we will compare the electron with the proton and then we will also explain both of them separately as why protons are bigger or smaller in shape in the comparison.
Complete step by step solution:
A proton has about 1836 times the mass of an electron.
Nobody knows the exact sizes, but a proton has about 1836 times the mass of an electron. The mass of a proton is 1.0073u , and the mass of an electron is 5.486×10−5lu . Therefore, a proton has about 1836 times the mass of an electron.
The best estimate that I can find is that the radius of a proton is about 88×10−16lm and the radius of an electron is about 2.8×10−15lm .
If they are correct, then an electron has about three times the diameter of a proton.
The mass of an electron is known to be 9.10939×10−31kilograms . In all neutral atoms there are the same number of electrons as protons. Electrons are bound to the nucleus by electrostatic forces. Most of the volume of an atom is occupied by electrons, even though they barely contribute to the atomic mass.
Note:
A proton has about 1,836 times the mass of an electron. The radius of a proton is about 8×10-16m and the radius of an electron is about 10−16m . So that means that a proton is about ten times the diameter of an electron.