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--- 184_notes:charge_and_matter [2021/01/24 23:47] – bartonmo
+++ 184_notes:charge_and_matter [2021/01/24 23:49] – bartonmo
@@ Line 17: / Line 17: @@
 [{{ 184_notes:atom_w_cloud.png?200|Electron cloud around positive nucleus }}]
-Most matter is //neutral//, which means that the net charge (or sum of all the charges) of most atoms is zero. Since the charge of a proton is $+1.602 \cdot 10^{-19} \text{ C}$ and the charge of an electron is $-1.602 \cdot 10^{-19} \text{ C}$ (and the charge of a neutron is $0 \text{ C}$), this tells us that the number of protons in a neutral atom has to equal the number of electrons. //__Notice that if an object is neutral, it does not mean that the object has zero charge. It means that the amount of positive charge in the atom is equal to the amount of negative charge in the atom, so the **net** charge is zero.__//
+**Most matter is neutral, which means that the net charge (or sum of all the charges) of most atoms is zero.** Since the charge of a proton is $+1.602 \cdot 10^{-19} \text{ C}$ and the charge of an electron is $-1.602 \cdot 10^{-19} \text{ C}$ (and the charge of a neutron is $0 \text{ C}$), this tells us that the number of protons in a neutral atom has to equal the number of electrons. //__Notice that if an object is neutral, it does not mean that the object has zero charge. It means that the amount of positive charge in the atom is equal to the amount of negative charge in the atom, so the **net** charge is zero.__//
-If an object is //charged//, this means that the net charge of the object is no longer zero. If the object has a negative net charge, this means that the object has an excess of electrons. If an object has a positive net charge, this means that the object is missing electrons. In theory you could also get a negative net charge by removing protons (or a positive charge by adding protons); however, protons are extremely difficult to remove (or add) because they are held together in the nucleus by the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strong_interaction|strong interaction]]. Since electrons are relatively easy to remove compared to a proton, almost all charged objects that you will encounter will be due to electrons being added or removed.
+**If an object is //charged//, this means that the net charge of the object is no longer zero**. If the object has a negative net charge, this means that the object has an excess of electrons. If an object has a positive net charge, this means that the object is missing electrons. In theory you could also get a negative net charge by removing protons (or a positive charge by adding protons); however, protons are extremely difficult to remove (or add) because they are held together in the nucleus by the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strong_interaction|strong interaction]]. Since electrons are relatively easy to remove compared to a proton, almost all charged objects that you will encounter will be due to electrons being added or removed.
 We can use this model of the atom (dense positive nucleus with an electron cloud) then to talk about how we get charged objects (charging/discharging) and how atoms respond to charges nearby (polarization).