The individual polarities from each C–H bond cancel each other out, making
CH 4 nonpolar. Also note that methane satisfies our condition for being nonpolar:
The carbon central atom has no lone pairs and is surrounded by atoms of one
element (in this case, hydrogen).
Becoming Polar
In order for a molecule to be polar, polar bonds must line up so that the
more electronegative atom or atoms are at one end of the molecule, and the
less electronegative atom or atoms are at the other. Whenever polar bonds
are arranged symmetrically around a central atom, the polar bonds cancel