Electric Charge: A Fundamental Property of Matter | Change Unit
An electric charge is a fundamental physical property of matter that causes it to experience a force when placed in an electromagnetic field. It's the reason for all electrical phenomena, from static cling to lightning. Electric charge is carried by subatomic particles like electrons (negative charge) and protons (positive charge), and it is a conserved and quantized property. This means the total charge in an isolated system always remains constant, and it exists in discrete, indivisible units called the elementary charge, e.
The Basics of Electric Charge
Think of electric charge like a fundamental building block of the universe, similar to mass. Just as mass dictates how an object interacts with gravity, electric charge governs how an object interacts with electric and magnetic fields. There are two types of electric charge: positive (+) and negative (-).
- Like charges repel: Two positive charges or two negative charges will push each other away.
- Unlike charges attract: A positive charge and a negative charge will pull towards each other.
This simple rule is the basis for many everyday occurrences. When you rub a balloon on your hair, you transfer electrons, giving the balloon a negative charge and your hair a positive charge. The attraction between these unlike charges is why the balloon sticks to the wall.
Measuring Electric Charge: The Coulomb (C)
The standard SI unit for electric charge is the coulomb (C). It's a very large unit, representing the charge of approximately 6.242 × 10¹⁸ protons or electrons.
Because a coulomb is so large, smaller units are often used in practical applications, especially in electronics and chemistry. This is where unit conversion becomes incredibly useful.
Common Electric Charge Unit Conversions
To make calculations easier, it's essential to be able to convert between the coulomb and its common prefixes, as well as other related units. Here are some of the most frequently used conversions:
| Unit | Symbol | Conversion Factor to Coulombs (C) |
|---|---|---|
| Coulomb | C | 1 C |
| Millicoulomb | mC | 1 mC = 10⁻³ C |
| Microcoulomb | μC | 1 μC = 10⁻⁶ C |
| Nanocoulomb | nC | 1 nC = 10⁻⁹ C |
| Picocoulomb | pC | 1 pC = 10⁻¹² C |
| Ampere-hour | Ah | 1 Ah = 3600 C |
| Elementary Charge | e | 1 e ≈ 1.602 × 10⁻¹⁹ C |
How to Convert Units
Converting electric charge units is simple multiplication or division. For example, to convert 250 microcoulombs (μC) to coulombs (C), you'd multiply by the conversion factor:
$$250 \text{ μC} \times \frac{1 \text{ C}}{10^6 \text{ μC}} = 0.00025 \text{ C}$$
Or, to convert 10 coulombs (C) to millicoulombs (mC):
$$10 \text{ C} \times \frac{1000 \text{ mC}}{1 \text{ C}} = 10000 \text{ mC}$$
From Charge to Current: The Ampere (A)
Electric charge is also directly related to electric current, which is the flow of charge. One ampere (A) is defined as the flow of one coulomb of charge per second.
$$1 \text{ A} = \frac{1 \text{ C}}{1 \text{ s}}$$
This relationship is crucial for understanding how electricity works in circuits and devices. When you use our unit conversion tool, you're not just converting charge—you're working with the very building blocks of electricity.