The lightest particle of an atom is the electron. An electron has approximately 1/1800 the mass of either of the other two particles - protons and neutrons. The large amount of space taken up by an electron compared to the other particles is a function of its behavior, not its size.
Protons and neutrons are confined to the nucleus, which is a very tiny part of the atom. The particles of the nucleus are held...
The lightest particle of an atom is the electron. An electron has approximately 1/1800 the mass of either of the other two particles - protons and neutrons. The large amount of space taken up by an electron compared to the other particles is a function of its behavior, not its size.
Protons and neutrons are confined to the nucleus, which is a very tiny part of the atom. The particles of the nucleus are held together by a force called the strong nuclear force. The electrons are outside the nucleus in a space that's more than 99% of the atom. They're negatively charged so they're held in place by their attraction to the positive protons in the nuclues, but at the same time each electron is repelled by the other electrons around it. Because of these repulsions and other factors electrons occupy particular regions of space that are quite large compared to their size.
An analogy is a helicopter blade. While spinning, it occupies a space much larger than its size. Nothing else can be in the space it sweeps out.
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