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Multiple Choice

In a neutral atom, the number of protons equals the number of electrons.

In a neutral atom, the total electrical charge is zero because protons carry a positive charge and electrons carry a negative charge. To achieve neutrality, the numbers must balance, so the number of electrons equals the number of protons. The proton count, or atomic number, fixes the element, and in a neutral state the same number of electrons surrounds the nucleus. Isotopes change the number of neutrons, not protons or electrons, so they don’t alter the neutral electron–proton balance. Temperature can ionize atoms by adding or removing electrons, which changes the net charge, but that is not the neutral state. So the statement is true.

In a neutral atom, the total electrical charge is zero because protons carry a positive charge and electrons carry a negative charge. To achieve neutrality, the numbers must balance, so the number of electrons equals the number of protons. The proton count, or atomic number, fixes the element, and in a neutral state the same number of electrons surrounds the nucleus. Isotopes change the number of neutrons, not protons or electrons, so they don’t alter the neutral electron–proton balance. Temperature can ionize atoms by adding or removing electrons, which changes the net charge, but that is not the neutral state. So the statement is true.