Definition
Electric Charge is a fundamental property of matter that gives rise to electric forces.
Why It Matters
Gravity holds the stars together, but electric charge is the “glue” that holds atoms and molecules together. Every chemical bond and biological signal is governed by electric charge.
Core Concepts
- Conservation of Charge: Electrons are neither created nor destroyed; they are transferred.
- Electric Field: An energetic aura surrounding every charge. It is force per unit charge ().
- How to read: “The electric field E equals the force F divided by the charge q.”
- Meaning: Force a test charge would feel per unit of its own charge—describes the field at a point independent of test charge size.
- Shielding: The electric field inside a charged conducting surface is zero. Electrons spread out on the exterior surface to cancel any internal field.