ETYM New Lat., from Greek hlektron. Related to Electric.
An elementary particle carrying 1 unit of negative electric charge. Its mass is 1/1837 that of a proton.
An elementary particle with negative charge.
Stable, negatively charged elementary particle; it is a constituent of all atoms, and a member of the class of particles known as leptons. The electrons in each atom surround the nucleus in groupings called shells; in a neutral atom the number of electrons is equal to the number of protons in the nucleus. This electron structure is responsible for the chemical properties of the atom (see atomic structure).
Electrons are the basic particles of electricity. Each carries a charge of 1.602192 × 10-19 coulomb, and all electrical charges are multiples of this quantity. A beam of electrons will undergo diffraction (scattering) and produce interference patterns in the same way as electromagnetic waves such as light; hence they may also be regarded as waves.