Question

Why is and atom considered neutral though it contains charged particles like electrons and protons

Answer 1

The centre of an atom is called Nucleus.
Nucleus consists of protons and neutrons.

Neutrons are chargeless particles.

Protons are positively charged particles.

Electrones are negatively charged particles that revolve around the nucleus.

In a neutral atom, the no. of protons = no. of electrons

Hence the atom is neutral.


That is, if an atom has 10 electrons, charge contribution is (-10).
Similarly for 10 protons, charge contribution 10.

Therefore, net charge = 10 + (-10) = 0.