Chapter 26, Problem 31A

To determine

The mass and the charge of an electron.

Answer to Problem 31A

The mass and the charge of an electron are $9.11\times {10}^{-31}\text{kg}$ and $1.60\times {10}^{-19}\text{C}$ respectively.

Explanation of Solution

Introduction:

An electron is a subatomic particle and is usually denoted as $e^{-}$ . Its polarity is negative. This has other inherited properties, such as mass, charge. Its mass is very small and couldn’t even be measured easily. J.J Thomson found the mass of an electron through correct laboratory set-up.

The mass of an electron is expressed in kilograms (kg) and the charge is expressed in Coulombs (C). The exact mass of an electron is $9.10938\times {10}^{-31}\text{kg}$ but approximate value is taken and the value is written as $9.11\times {10}^{-31}\text{kg}$ .

The charge of an electron is denoted by $e$ and its value is $1.60\times {10}^{-19}\text{C}$ .

Conclusion:

Hence,the mass and the charge of an electron are $9.1\times {10}^{-31}\text{kg}$ and $1.6\times {10}^{-19}\text{C}$ respectively.