What does electron mean?
Word: Electron
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Electron means a tiny particle with a negative electric charge that moves around the centre of an atom.
Word origin: Built from electric, which goes back to Greek elektron.
How do you spell electron?
Syllables: e - lec - tron
Tricky part: The t and r blend so quickly in the last syllable that one of them gets dropped: electon and elecron are the usual slips.
Watch out for: electon, elecron, electorn
Memory tip: A train races round its track as this particle races round an atom, and both keep tr together.
Electron in a sentence
Example 1: In a copper wire, an electron can drift from one atom to the next.
Example 2: Aditi's model of a carbon atom used a green bead for each electron.
Example 3: Scientists can now follow an electron using very short flashes of laser light.
Fun Fact
The Irish scientist George Johnstone Stoney proposed the name electron in 1891, six years before J. J. Thomson showed that the particle existed.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the option in which the following letters will fit in the given order:
e, e, o
a) _m_r_ld
b) _l_m_nt
c) _l_ph_nt
d) _l_ctr_n
Show answer
d) _l_ctr_n. Electron alone takes these vowels; the others are elephant, element and emerald.
Word Champ
Read the statements and choose the correct option:
1. An electron is far lighter than a proton. 2. Neutrons carry a positive charge. 3. The nucleus holds protons and neutrons.
a) only 1 is true
b) all three are true
c) only 2 and 3 are true
d) only 1 and 3 are true
Show answer
d) only 1 and 3 are true. Neutrons have no charge at all, so statement 2 is the false one.
Spell Spies
Choose the misspelt word/s in the given sentence:
Our physics teacher drew one electron on the board and explained why a flourescent tube glows when the switch is turned on.
a) only flourescent
b) physics and switch
c) only physics
d) electron and flourescent
Show answer
a) only flourescent. The lighting word begins with fluor, not flour.
Back to the Roots
Choose the correct option to complete the sentence:
Electron goes back to the Greek word elektron, which means ___.
a) spark
b) amber
c) lightning
d) copper
Show answer
b) amber. Rubbed amber attracts light specks, one of the earliest effects of static electricity ever noticed.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. You rub a balloon on dry hair and electrons pass between them. What do you then notice?
a) the balloon loses all of its air
b) the balloon grows a little larger
c) your hair turns slightly damp
d) your hair rises towards the balloon
Show answer
d) your hair rises towards the balloon
2. How many electrons does a neutral hydrogen atom have?
a) two
b) eight
c) three
d) one
Show answer
d) one
