The SI derived unit of electric charge is the coulomb (C) named after French physicist Charles-Augustin de Coulomb. The study of photon-mediated interactions among charged particles is called quantum electrodynamics. The interaction of electric charges with an electromagnetic field (combination of electric and magnetic fields) is the source of the electromagnetic (or Lorentz) force, which is one of the four fundamental forces in physics. A moving charge also produces a magnetic field.
The proton has a charge of + e, and the electron has a charge of − e.Įlectric charges produce electric fields. Charge is quantized it comes in integer multiples of individual small units called the elementary charge, e, about 1.602 ×10 −19 C, which is the smallest charge that can exist freely (particles called quarks have smaller charges, multiples of 1 / 3 e, but they are found only in combination, and always combine to form particles that have a charge that is an integer multiple of e). If there are more electrons than protons in a piece of matter, it will have a negative charge, if there are fewer it will have a positive charge, and if there are equal numbers it will be neutral. In ordinary matter, negative charge is carried by electrons, and positive charge is carried by the protons in the nuclei of atoms. Electric charge is carried by subatomic particles. Early knowledge of how charged substances interact is now called classical electrodynamics, and is still accurate for problems that do not require consideration of quantum effects.Įlectric charge is a conserved property the net charge of an isolated system, the amount of positive charge minus the amount of negative charge, cannot change. An object with an absence of net charge is referred to as neutral. Like charges repel each other and unlike charges attract each other.
Electric charge can be positive or negative (commonly carried by protons and electrons respectively). Electric charge is the physical property of matter that causes charged matter to experience a force when placed in an electromagnetic field.
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