Definition:Electric Charge

Definition

Electric charge is a physical quantity of matter which causes it to experience a force when near other electrically charged matter.

Electric charge has been demonstrated to be quantized.

$e = 1.60217 \, 6634 \times 10^{−19}$ coulombs exactly.

This is so small that to all practical purposes in everyday measurement of electricity, it can be treated as though it were continuous.

The SI unit of electric charge is the coulomb $\mathrm C$.

The sign of an electric charge can be one of $2$ types:

A positive electric charge is an electric charge which is of the same sign as the electric charge on a proton.

When it is necessary to assign a value to a positive electric charge, a $+$ (plus) sign is used, and the value assigned is a positive number.

A negative electric charge is an electric charge which is of the same sign as the electric charge on an electron.

When it is necessary to assign a value to a negative electric charge, a $-$ (minus) sign is used, and the value assigned is a negative number.

A body which has no electric charge on it is described as (electrically) neutral.

1921: C.E. Weatherburn: Elementary Vector Analysis ... (previous) ... (next): Chapter $\text I$. Addition and Subtraction of Vectors. Centroids: Definitions: $1$. Scalar and vector quantities
1951: B. Hague: An Introduction to Vector Analysis (5th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): Chapter $\text I$: Definitions. Elements of Vector Algebra: $1$. Scalar and Vector Quantities
1960: M.B. Glauert: Principles of Dynamics ... (previous) ... (next): Chapter $1$: Vector Algebra: $1.1$ Definition of a Vector
1990: I.S. Grant and W.R. Phillips: Electromagnetism (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): Chapter $1$: Force and energy in electrostatics: $1.1$ Electric Charge