Question

a neutral atom has equal numbers of and electrons.

Explanation:

In atomic structure (a topic in Chemistry, a subfield of Natural Science), a neutral atom has no net charge. Protons are positively charged, electrons are negatively charged, and neutrons are neutral. For the atom to be neutral, the number of positive charges (protons) must equal the number of negative charges (electrons). So the missing particle is protons.

Answer:

protons