30 June 2020

Difference Between Electron and Proton

The main key difference between electron and proton is that electron is the automatic particle having a negative charge and orbiting the nucleus, the flow of electron in a conductor constitutes electricity while in the proton is positively charged subatomic particle forming part of the nucleus of an atom and determining the atomic number of an element. Here this article gives information about the main key difference between electron and proton to better understand this topic.

Definition of the proton?


Proton is a subatomic particle in the nucleus of the atom and has a positive change. We generally denote in proton by p. When scientists discovered the electron, they had no idea about a particle called a proton.

Definition of Proton?

The electron in an orbital exists as a pair of electrons. Each pair has two electrons with opposite spin. The arrangement of an electron in an orbital can be given in an electron configuration.

Difference between electron and proton:

  • Electrons are present outside the nucleus of an atom, while protons are present in the nucleus of an atom.
  • A proton is represented as "P", An electron is represented as "e".
  • Electron is negatively charged, proto are positively charged.
  • The mass of an electron e is considered to be negligible,  but the mass of a proton  p is approximately 1840 times as the mass of an electron. 
  • The electron has spread the nucleus, while the proton are closely bound.
  • The mass of an electron is about 1/2000 times the mass of a hydrogen atom, while the mass of the proton is taken as one unit and equal to the mass of a neutron.
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