Which subatomic particle carries a negative charge and orbits the nucleus?

• A. Proton
• B. Neutron
• C. Electron
• D. Positron

Answer: (C)

The particle is the electron. Atoms have a nucleus made of positively charged protons and neutral neutrons; electrons carry negative charge and occupy orbits around the nucleus, held in by the electrical attraction to the positively charged protons. Protons stay in the nucleus, and neutrons are neutral inside the nucleus, so they don’t orbit. A positron is the antimatter counterpart of an electron with positive charge, not the particle that typically sits around the nucleus in ordinary matter.