Which term describes the particle that is negatively charged and orbits the nucleus?

Which term describes the particle that is negatively charged and orbits the nucleus?

• A. Electron
• B. Proton
• C. Neutron
• D. Positron

Answer: (A)

The particle that is negatively charged and orbits the nucleus is the electron. In atoms, electrons carry a negative charge and are arranged around the nucleus, held in their orbits by the attraction to the positively charged protons in the nucleus. Protons are positively charged and stay in the nucleus, neutrons are electrically neutral and also in the nucleus, and a positron is the positively charged antiparticle of an electron, not something that typically orbits ordinary atoms. So the negatively charged component that surrounds the nucleus is the electron.

The particle that is negatively charged and orbits the nucleus is the electron. In atoms, electrons carry a negative charge and are arranged around the nucleus, held in their orbits by the attraction to the positively charged protons in the nucleus. Protons are positively charged and stay in the nucleus, neutrons are electrically neutral and also in the nucleus, and a positron is the positively charged antiparticle of an electron, not something that typically orbits ordinary atoms. So the negatively charged component that surrounds the nucleus is the electron.