Section: Chemistry: Section I

23) Which statement best describes an electron?

1. It has a smaller mass than a proton and a negative charge.
2. It has a greater mass than a proton and a negative charge.
3. It has a greater mass than a proton and a positive charge.
4. It has a smaller mass than a proton and a positive charge.

The electron is negative and the proton is positive. The mass of an electron is 1/1836 as large as that of a proton. For this reason, the proton is assigned a massive 1, and the electron is assigned a mass of almost 0.