An electron is known to weigh how much compared to a neutron?

Prepare for the Public Health Sanitarian Test with flashcards and multiple choice questions. Each question offers hints and explanations. Get ready to ace your exam!

An electron weighs significantly less than a neutron, making the selection of "less" the correct answer. To put this into perspective, the mass of an electron is approximately 9.11 x 10^-31 kilograms, while the mass of a neutron is about 1.675 x 10^-27 kilograms. This means that a neutron is roughly 1,839 times more massive than an electron.

Understanding this difference in mass is crucial in fields like particle physics and chemistry, where the behavior of subatomic particles can affect the properties of atoms and molecules. Neutrons, being part of the nucleus of an atom alongside protons, contribute to the overall mass of an atom, while electrons are found in the electron cloud surrounding the nucleus and have a negligible impact on atomic mass.

Other answer choices, such as "more" or "the same," do not accurately reflect this established mass relationship. Additionally, the option referring to the mass as "not measurable" is incorrect since the masses of both electrons and neutrons have been precisely determined and measured through various scientific experiments.

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