|
Electric force,
both attractive and repulsive, is much more intense that the force of
gravity. It governs the spacial distribution of atoms and ions in
matter and sometimes produces beautiful crystals like the amethysts you
can see in the photograph.
|
However, the charge almost
never manifests itself in ordinary objects, but remains hidden in the particles which make up their atoms.
These particles are protons
and neutrons in the atomic nucleus, and electrons which spin around it.
The neutrons have no charge (they are neutral); the protons have a positive
charge and the electrons have a negative charge with the same value.
As there is an equal number of protons and electrons in the atom, the
net charge of the atom and of all matter in general is nil.
|