Video Transcript
Where in the atom would you find electrons? (A) In the nucleus. (B) Attached to protons. (C) In the space outside the nucleus. (D) In the spaces between protons and neutrons. (E) Attached to neutrons.
In this question, we are being asked to describe the location of electrons in an atom. Electrons are a type of subatomic particle. Recall that a subatomic particle is simply a particle that is smaller than an atom and found inside an atom. In other words, subatomic particles are the building blocks of the atoms that make up chemical elements. There are three main types of subatomic particles found inside atoms. They are protons, neutrons, and electrons. Protons are positively charged subatomic particles and neutrons are neutral subatomic particles, which means that they have no charge. Last, electrons are the negatively charged subatomic particles inside atoms.
Now that we’ve identified the three basic subatomic particles of atoms, let’s review the structure of atoms. In the center of an atom is a dense core called the nucleus. The nucleus does not take up much space in the atom, but it holds most of the mass of an atom. The protons and neutrons which are much more massive than electrons are located inside the nucleus. Because protons are positive and neutrons are neutral, the nucleus itself is positively charged. Protons and neutrons do not have opposite charges, but they are bound tightly together in the nucleus because of a very strong attractive force called the strong nuclear force.
The space in an atom that’s located outside of the nucleus is often called the electron cloud. This is where the negatively charged electrons are located inside the atom. We’ve learned that the nucleus in the center of the atom makes up most of the atom’s mass. In contrast, the space outside of the nucleus where the electrons are found takes up most of the volume of an atom. The negatively charged electrons are attracted to the positively charged nucleus, but this attractive force is much weaker than the force holding together the nucleus. Therefore, electrons are found outside of the nucleus but are still contained within the atom.
Where in the atom would you find electrons? The correct answer is answer choice (C), in the space outside the nucleus.
