College dropout reporting in. What are electrons? Can you explain

https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/search?q=electrons&restrict_sr=on&sort=relevance&t=all

>>7953464

That's why I asked here.

I know what would they tell me and I find that confusing.

http://www.chem4kids.com/files/atom_electron.html

>>7953465
Yeah, but mind the subreddit name.

r/explainlikeimfive

I think it's appropriate.

Alternatively, >>7953470

>>7953456
Electrons are sort of like your parrents.

When they get too exited, they leave you.
Sometimes a new one comes in, but it's only temporary until some chemist rips them apart.

>>7953456
>What are electrons? Can you explain it to me in the most honest and literal way possible?
It's a contentious topic. The tentative consensus is basically 'iunno, but we can do these calculations so don't worry about it too much'.

Imagine a bed sheet stretched out so its wide and flat, like a planar surface.

Stick a drum stick up from the bottom. There is now a "point" on the sheet. That is an electron.

>>7953465
>I know what would they tell me and I find that confusing

I don't think you'll get a better explanation here.

>>7953456
>most honest and literal way possible
That would probably get pedantic and useless for your purposes. In practice, what's important is not what electrons "are" but what they do.

Look at the classic experiments behind old theories of atomic structure that you'd find in a genchem book. Look at the specific evidence and the predictions it makes. beyond that, "stationary" electrons determine electric potential and bulk movement of electrons determines magnetism. You can think of all organic molecules as electric potential surfaces in 3-space, which determine the molecule's reactivity and interactions with biological targets.

>>7953497
>The tentative consensus is basically 'iunno, but we can do these calculations so don't worry about it too much'.
Basically this

Electrons are subatomic particles, so they behave in accordance with quantum mechanics. Therefore, there isn't a simple way to explain them. They are unintuitive by nature, and our explanations of their behavior may already be oversimplifications. If you want to learn about them, then read.

Electrons are particles/waves that are negatively charged, and are often found around the nucleus of an atom. The electron is the lightest stable subatomic particle known. Electrons move around the nucleus in orbitals.

For more information: http://www.britannica.com/science/electron

https://simple.wikipedia.org/

>>7953515
I think "field of potential" works well enough to get people to understand what a quantum field is. The only problem is explaining space-type time.