Electron

An electron is a very small piece of matter. Its symbol is e⁻, and it was discovered by J. J. Thomson in 1897.

The electron is a subatomic particle. Every atom is made of some electrons that surround the nucleus of the atom. An electron can also be separate from any atom. It is believed to be an elementary particle because it cannot be broken down into anything smaller.^[1] Its electric charge is negative.^[2] Electrons have very little mass (little weight) so very little energy is needed to move them fast. They may move almost at the speed of light, for instance, as beta particles, and in the inner electron shells of elements with a large atomic number. ^[3]

Electrons take part in gravitational, electromagnetic and weak interactions.^[4] The electromagnetic force is strongest in common situations. Electrons repel (push apart) from each other because they have the same electric charge. Electrons are attracted to protons because they have opposite electric charge. An electron has an electric field, which describes these forces. The electricity that powers televisions, motors, mobile phones, basically everything (electric) is actually many electrons moving through wires or other conductors.

1. ↑ Purcell, Edward M. 1985. Electricity and Magnetism. Berkeley Physics Course Volume 2. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-004908-4.
2. ↑ "JERRY COFF". Retrieved 10 September 2010.
3. ↑ US Dept. of Energy: [1] Archived 2010-05-30 at the Wayback Machine
4. ↑ Anastopoulos, Charis 2008. Particle or Wave: the evolution of the concept of matter in modern physics. Princeton University Press. pp261–262. ISBN 0691135126. https://books.google.com/books?id=rDEvQZhpltEC&pg=PA261