Which atomic particle has no electric charge?

Which atomic particle has no electric charge?

• A. Atom
• B. Neutron
• C. Protons
• D. Radioactive waste

Answer: (B)

At the heart of it is the fact that subatomic particles have different electric charges: protons are positively charged, electrons are negatively charged, and neutrons carry no net electric charge. The neutron sits in the nucleus with protons but does not contribute any charge, so it’s electrically neutral. An atom as a whole is typically neutral because the numbers of protons and electrons balance, but the neutron itself is the neutral particle. The atom is the entire neutral unit, not a single particle, and radioactive waste is not a subatomic particle. So the particle with no electric charge is the neutron.

At the heart of it is the fact that subatomic particles have different electric charges: protons are positively charged, electrons are negatively charged, and neutrons carry no net electric charge. The neutron sits in the nucleus with protons but does not contribute any charge, so it’s electrically neutral. An atom as a whole is typically neutral because the numbers of protons and electrons balance, but the neutron itself is the neutral particle. The atom is the entire neutral unit, not a single particle, and radioactive waste is not a subatomic particle. So the particle with no electric charge is the neutron.