Charge
- Charge is measured in coulombs (C). One coulomb is defined as:
The charge carried by an electric current of one ampere in one second
- Charge is a scalar quantity
- Electrons have a negative charge
- Protons have a positive charge
- Like charges repel each other and attract opposite ones
- In neutral (i.e. uncharged) atoms and objects the number of electrons and the number of protons are equal
- The movement of electrons determines the charge of an atom or object
- In charged atoms or objects there is a net amount of either positive or negative charge
- An object that gains electrons has an overall negative charge
- An object that loses electrons has an overall positive charge
- In conductors, some electrons are free to move between atoms
Delocalised electrons in the outer shell of the atoms in a conductor can move between atoms. When a neutral atom loses electrons it becomes a positive ion
- When several differently charged but identical objects are brought together briefly and then separated they end up with the same charge
- Calculate the total charge present at the point of contact
- Then divide by the number of objects brought together
- This will give the value of the charge present on each object after separation