Electric charge

Definition

Electric charge is a fundamental property of matter that causes it to experience a force when placed in an electromagnetic field. It comes in two types: positive and negative.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The SI unit of electric charge is the coulomb (C).
2. Protons have a positive charge (+e) and electrons have a negative charge (-e), where $e \approx 1.602 \times 10^{-19}$ C.
3. Like charges repel each other, while opposite charges attract.
4. Charge is quantized and conserved; it cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred from one object to another.
5. An electric field is created by electric charges and exerts forces on other charges within the field.

Review Questions

• What are the two types of electric charge?
• How does the principle of conservation of charge apply to isolated systems?
• What happens when like charges are brought close to each other?

Related terms

Coulomb's Law: A law stating that the force between two point charges is directly proportional to the product of their charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

Electric Field: A region around a charged particle where a force would be experienced by other charges.

Quantization of Charge: $\text{The principle that charge comes in discrete units, such as } e \approx 1.602 \times 10^{-19} \text{ C for elementary particles like electrons and protons.}$