Extra Electrons

Most recent answer: 10/22/2007

Q:
what hapens when 1 or more electrons gose into another atom.
- Exir Kamalabadi (age 8)
shanghai muse primary school, china
A:
A few things can happen when an extra electron goes near an atom.

Some atoms would really like to have 1 more electron. That extra electron would make them stable. When an atom is stable, it doesn’t interact much with other atoms anymore.

Some atoms might let the electron in and then send it away again right away because it is more stabile without that extra electron.

Electricity is just electrons moving into other atoms. Those electrons will bump into an atom and bounce off like a ball. Then they will move a little further and bump into another atom. They keep going like that as long as they can.

Adam

(published on 10/22/2007)