First year of secondary education
Matter

E. Vallo y  J. Villasuso
Matter
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Electric charge
2/3
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.

 

What is it?
Properties
Volume
Mass
Density
Organization of matter
The attraction between masses
The effects of gravity
Electric charge
Particles
From simple to complex
Elements and compounds
States of aggregation
Solid
Liquid
Gas
Plasma
Changes of state
Evaluation