The attractive and repulsive forces in an atom are rather complex. An electron is attracted to the protons in the nucleus, but is also repelled by the other electrons in the atom. It is important to note, however, that the attractive force of the nucleus is NOT divided up among the electrons in the atom. Each electron gets approximately the full attractive force of the nucleus (minus the repulsive effects of other electrons). Compare the diagram below to set D in Model 2. Notice the similarity in attractive force.