A solid object becomes positively charged by removing electrons. Which subatomic particle is removed to create this charge?

• A. Protons
• B. Neutrons
• C. Electrons
• D. Quarks

Answer: (C)

Charging an object this way comes from changing the balance of positive and negative charges. In atoms, protons carry positive charge, electrons carry negative charge, and neutrons have no charge. If you remove electrons, you reduce the number of negative charges while the positive charges from the nuclei stay the same, so the overall object becomes positively charged. Neutrons don’t affect charge when removed, protons themselves are already positively charged and removing them isn’t the same mechanism for creating a positive charge, and quarks are the inside components of protons and neutrons, not particles you typically remove to charge something. So the particle removed to create the positive charge is electrons.