Definition:Electric Charge
Contents
Definition
Electric charge is a physical quantity of matter which causes it to experience a force when near other electrically charged matter.
It is a scalar quantity which has been demonstrated to be quantized.
Dimension
The dimension of measurement of Electric charge is $\mathsf I \, \mathsf T$.
Units
The SI unit of electric charge is the coulomb $\mathrm C$.
Sign
The sign of an electric charge can be one of $2$ types:
Positive Electric Charge
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.
Negative Electric Charge
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.
Neutral
A body which has no electric charge on it is described as (electrically) neutral.
Sources
- 1990: I.S. Grant and W.R. Phillips: Electromagnetism (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): Chapter $1$: Force and energy in electrostatics: $1.1$ Electric Charge
