Relative masses:
- proton = 1 amu
- neutron = 1 amu
- electron = 1/1840 amu
Protons give an element its identity and mass
Electrons give an element its reactivity
Neutrons give an element its isotope
A helpful website that breaks this down further is http://chemwiki.ucdavis.edu/Physical_Chemistry/Atomic_Theory/The_Atom/Sub-Atomic_Particles
Thank you, Avery, for sharing this information about the subatomic particles. I found this post very helpful in understanding some key differences between the particles. Listing each of their relative masses made me realize just how light electrons are in comparison to the other particles. This point is important to know, because I remember a question about that on our last quiz. Also, I looked at the website that you included and I found it very useful because it includes many pictures and tables to help understand the information given. Again, thanks for sharing, and I might look back on this in the future if I am ever confused on anything about the subatomic particles.
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