Electric charge: which is electric charge, elementary charge and formula

In this article we are going to talk a little about electric charge.

It sounds weird to say but, we're made of electricity. Just like all things and created beings.

What is electrical charge?

the electric charge it is part of the elementary particles that make up the atom which in turn has the positive and negative electron charge.

• electrons: is in the electrosphere that surrounds the nucleus of the atom and its charge is always negative.
• protons: they are in the nucleus of the atom and have a positive charge.
• Neutron: it is in the nucleus of the atom but it is neutral, it has no electric charge.

Coulomb is the name of the unit of magnitude that represents the electric charge. It is always identified by the letter C, this name was given in honor of the French physicist Charles Augustin Coulomb who named the unit.

All existing bodies are formed by electrical charges. When bodies are in a neutral state, they have the same amount of electrons and protons, which makes it difficult to identify which electrical property they have.

The body is considered electrically positive when it has more protons than electrons. It is electrically negative when it has more electrons than protons.

What is Elementary Charge?

The elementary charge is the smallest electrical charge found in nature. Its value is equal to 1.6. 10-19 C for the charge of electrons and protons.

Principles of electrostatics

Electrostatics is a department of physics that studies the phenomena that manifest themselves when the electric charge is at rest. And it has its distinct principles:

• conservation principle- the sum of the electric charge of a system that is electrically isolated.
• Quantization - is quantized, always a multiple of the value of the elementary electrical charge.

For calculation:

Q - total electrical charge of a body

n - number of electrons received or lost

and – the elementary charge (1.6. 10-19 C)

• Principle of attraction and repulsion – charges that have the same sign are repelled while those of the opposite sign are attracted.

Electrification

In order for a body in a neutral state to be electrically charged, it is necessary to go through an electrification process that can occur in the following ways:

by friction

When two bodies of different materials are in a neutral state and have friction with each other, one of these bodies gains electrons, negative charge and the other body loses electrons, positive charge. In this electrification, the charges have an equal amount but with opposite signs.

By contact

It is when two electrified conducting bodies are kept in contact and this causes the chargeelectric is reciprocated between the two bodies creating an electrostatic balance. And finally, they get the same charge.

by induction

It takes place in three phases:

• It happens with the approach of a neutral body to an electrified body, creating a separation of charges.
• Neutral body being grounded. This causes part of the charge conductor to be neutralized.
• Once the body is disconnected from earth, this body is electrified but with a signal opposite to the body that was used to induce the separation of charges.

Video lessons 

solved exercises

Formula 

Electrostatics is the branch of electricity that studies the properties and behavior of electrical charges at rest. See below some formulas for this content.