What are the 4 subatomic particles?
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Answer:
From a my point of view as a chemistry student, we usually study:
Protons: discovered during Rutherford’s gold foil experiment. The atomic number or proton number is the number of protons present in an atom. The atomic number determines an element
Electrons: discovered by Thomson in his cathode ray experiments. Electrons are located in an electron cloud, which is the area surrounding the nucleus of the atom. There is usually a higher probability of finding an electron closer to to the nucleus of an atom. Electrons have a negative charge that is equal in magnitude to the positive charge of the protons. However, their mass is considerably less than that of a proton or neutron (and as such is usually considered insignificant). Unequal amounts of protons and electrons create ions: positive cations or negative anions.
Neutrons: located in the nucleus with protons. Along with protons, they make up almost all of the mass of the atom. The number of neutrons is called the neutron number and can be found by subtracting the proton number from the atomic mass number. The neutrons in an element determine the isotope of an atom, and often its stability. The number of neutrons is not necessarily equal to the number of protons.
Other particles we usually look at:
Alpha particles: Helium nuclei, which consist of two protons and two neutrons. The net spin on an alpha particle is zero. They result from large, unstable atoms through alpha decay.
Beta particles: free electrons or positrons with high energy and high speed; they are emitted in beta decay.