AFOQT Practice Test

What causes an object to be electric charged?

1. A difference in balance between protons and neutrons

2. A difference in balance between protons and electrons

3. A difference in balance between electrons and neutrons

4. A difference in balance between photons and electrons

The correct answer is: A difference in balance between protons and electrons

The correct answer highlights that an object becomes electrically charged due to an imbalance between protons and electrons. Protons, which are positively charged, and electrons, which are negatively charged, must exist in equal numbers for an object to remain neutral. When there is a difference in this balance—meaning either excess electrons or excess protons—the object will acquire a net positive or negative charge, respectively. This understanding is fundamental in physics and underpins many principles of electrostatics and electrical interactions. The other options either incorrectly suggest that neutrons, which are neutral particles, play a direct role in electrical charge or refer to photons, which are relevant to electromagnetic radiation but not to the concept of electrical charge itself. Thus, the emphasis on the relationship between protons and electrons provides a clear reason for the generation of electric charge.