Why do electrons have such a powerful charge for their size compared to protons? Is that even the right way to think about that?

Question

I’m taking a chemistry course right now, and one of the things I’ve learned is that protons have far more mass than electrons. Despite this, electrons seem just as relevant to the state of the atom, so much so that they seem to cancel out.

I wanted to ask first, how is this the case, but second, if I’m wrong about my assessment and why?

In: 4

Answer 1

They have the same, but opposite charge, the difference is in the mass the electron has a really tiny mass, so as a proportion of mass the electron has a more powerful charge.