Question

What does an electron do?

Answer 1

Electrons are subatomic particles that, along with protons and neutrons, come to form the most fundamental part of atoms. An electron contains a charge of -1 and is usually denoted by the sign ‘e- ‘.

Complete step-by-step answer: - An electron is defined as a subatomic particle that is negatively charged and can exist either in a free state, i.e., not bound to any atom or attached to the nucleus of an atom.
- In atoms, the electrons are represented as existing in spherical shells of heterogeneous radii bases on the energy levels of the electron.
- Thus, the energy contained in the electron is directly proportional to the size of the spherical shell that the electron exhibits.
- The electron is a negatively charged particle, and therefore the effective charge is -1. As we know that protons are positively charged, all the electrons in the nucleus help balance this positive charge of protons.
- The properties of an electron are unaffected and independent of the gas present in the discharge tube. They exhibit a two – sided nature defined as wave particle duality, which means that the electron, which is a particle under specific circumstances, behaves as a wave.

Note: Subatomic particles come with their own set of specific properties that are unique to them. The mass of an electron can be represented as 1/1840 of the mass of a hydrogen atom. Since, the mass of a hydrogen atom is 1 u, the relative mass of an electron can be represented as 1/1840 u.