If an atom has the same number of protons and electrons, what is its electrical charge?

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When the numbers of protons and electrons are equal, their charges cancel out because protons are positively charged and electrons are negatively charged with the same magnitude. The total charge is zero, so the atom is electrically neutral. If there are more protons than electrons, the atom would have a positive charge; if more electrons, a negative charge. An isotope, meanwhile, refers to a different number of neutrons in the nucleus and does not determine the atom’s charge—the charge depends on the balance of protons and electrons.