CHARGE

branchELECTRICITY

Coming from ELECTRICITY
Leading to CONDUCTORS INSULATORS
==Charge== In our universe, and for whatever reason, we have two types of charge. We distinguish them by calling one positive and one negative. [image:https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-HPGm9ZgxzIs/TX8o4E30IyI/AAAAAAAAAB4/0lii08BTmCA/s1600/charge1.png] The properties are that two like charges repel and two opposite charges attract. [image:https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/de/Charges_repulsion_attraction.svg/364px-Charges_repulsion_attraction.svg.png] For electric charges we will describe the force field around it as the force acting on a unit '''POSITIVE''' charge. We can draw the field around individual charges by assuming they act as if they were a point. In this case the field from a positive charge will repel a unit positive charge and thus the radial field is divergent. Around a negative charge the field is radial and convergent. [image:http://i.imgur.com/dicvSd0.png] Charge is measured in a unit called coulombs C and has the symbol Q. The charge on one electron is -1.6x10^-19^ C. This is also known as the fundamental unit of charge '''e'''. A proton has the same charge but positive. All charges are multiples of this fundamental charge. A 1C charge for example is equivalent to about 6.25x10^18^ protons; -1C is equivalent to 6.25x10^18^ electrons.
Credit: Tristan O'Hanlon