Question

State True or False:
If a neutral body is made positive, its mass decreases.
(A) True
(B) False

Answer 1

To make a neutral body-positive then it has to lose some electrons and if a neutral body is to be made negative then it has to accept some electrons. We should keep in our mind only transfer of negative charge takes place. Protons and neutrons are situated inside the nucleus and they do not move outside it.

Complete step by step answer:
Now we are given a neutral body. We wanted to make it a positively charged body, then we have to make it lose some electrons by some method. When a body loses some electrons, then it becomes positively charged, this happens because the number of protons is now more than the number of electrons. The net effect is positive and hence, the body becomes positively charged. We know that electrons have mass and the mass of one electron is $9.1\times {{10}^{-31}}kg$. This clearly shows that when electrons are lost then the body also loses some of its mass. Therefore, the given statement is true.

Additional information: From the conservation of charge, the charge can neither be created nor be destroyed but they can move from one body to another and also only negative charges move. The protons are more massive as compared to electrons. The mass of one proton is $1.67\times {{10}^{-27}}kg$

Note: While doing such problems people usually think since there is no actual loss of any mass so mass remains the same but when we see this at atomic scale then there is taking place at some loss of mass but it is very low.