Skip to Content

1. Electric Charge

  • Definition: Charge is a fundamental property of matter that gives rise to electromagnetic interactions. It is denoted by 'q' and measured in Coulombs (C).
  • Types of Charges:
    • Positive Charge (+q): Possessed by protons.
    • Negative Charge (-q): Possessed by electrons.

Properties of Electric Charge

  1. Additivity of Charges:
    • If a system has multiple charges q₁, q₂, q₃..., the total charge is their algebraic sum: Qtotal=q1+q2+q3+...+qnQ_{\text{total}} = q_1 + q_2 + q_3 + ... + q_nQtotal​=q1​+q2​+q3​+...+qn​
  2. Charge Conservation:
    • Charge can neither be created nor destroyed, but it can be transferred from one body to another.
  3. Quantization of Charge:
    • Charge exists in integral multiples of the elementary charge e (1.6 × 10⁻¹⁹ C).
    • Mathematically, q=neq = n eq=ne, where n is an integer.
  4. Like Charges Repel, Unlike Charges Attract:
    • This follows Coulomb’s Law (explained below).