The negative charge of a single electron is referred to as?

The term "unit electrical charge" accurately describes the negative charge of a single electron because it refers to the fundamental unit of electric charge in physics. An electron carries a specific and well-defined amount of negative charge, which is considered the basic unit when discussing electrical charge in the context of atomic and subatomic particles.

In this context, the negative charge of an electron is often represented as -1 elementary charge (approximately -1.602 x 10^-19 coulombs). The notion of a "unit" underscores its role as the standard reference for measuring electric charge in the field of electromagnetism.

In contrast, the other options do not correctly define the negative charge of an electron. The term "atomic charge" implies a charge related to entire atoms, which can vary based on the number of electrons and protons in the atom. "Molecular charge" pertains to the overall charge of a molecule, which is not specific to a single electron. Lastly, "positive charge" refers to the charge carried by protons, which is fundamentally different from the negative charge of electrons. Therefore, the most accurate description of the charge of a single electron is as a unit electrical charge.