Unit of Electric Charge

Description

It is a Concept that Measures the Basics of Electricity

Electricity is something that we use on a daily basis. From the machines and Gadgets we use to the lighting of homes, all have connections with it. All these are parts of the invisible force that is known as electric Charge. Hence, to understand what electricity is all about one needs first to know what this electric Charge is and how it is measured.

What in the world is electric charge?

A basic property of matter is the electric charge. Referred to as something that things have, similar to mass and volume, there are two kinds of it: positive ones, like protons, and negative ones, like electrons. When two objects have the same charge, then they push each other. If two objects have opposite charges, they then pull each other. A pretty nice rule and one that says quite a lot concerning how it is that electricity works.

Electric charge is what sets us up with:

• Electricity carrying wires
• Air holding lightning
• Touching a metal doorknob and getting a static shock
• And even holding atoms together!

In short, electricity is all about the motion of electric charges—mostly electrons—through a material.

Coulomb is the unit of electric charge.

An electric charge is quantified in Coulombs, which regularly uses as one typical unit. The Coulomb is known as the French physicist Charles-Augustin de Coulomb, who researched electric and magnetic forces in the 18th century.

Charge is measured in units that we shall call Coulombs in honor of the French physicist Charles-Augustin de Coulomb who studied electrical and magnetic forces some two centuries ago.

Therefore, if a wire has 1 ampere of current passing through for 1 second, then it has 1 coulomb of charge passing through.

In mathematical notation:
Q=I×t
Where

• Q = Charge (in coulombs),
• I = Current (in amperes),
• t = Time (in seconds)

Examples from the Daily Life which Explain Electric Charge

Let’s look at what the coulomb really is.
Such a charge can also be expressed as 1 coulomb.
One electron has a charge of –1.6 × 10⁻¹⁹ coulombs. That is a very infinitesimal amount.

Hence, if you were to rub the balloon across your hair and then tried keeping it afloat against some vertical surface, the charge that has been transferred would still be far less than one whole coulomb!

In simple words, it’s a huge amount of charge as compared to what little charge we receive from static electricity.

Other Units that have to do with Electric Charge

The Coulomb is the SI unit, but there are other units or measurements related to charge:

• Elementary Charge (e) – The charge of one electron or one proton. Its value is approximately 1.6 × 10⁻¹⁹ coulombs.
• Faraday (F) – The unit is quite often used in chemistry, particularly in electrolysis. One faraday is roughly equal to 96485 coulombs. It indicates the charge of one mole of electrons (the number of Avogadro’s number times the charge of an electron).
• Statcoulomb (esu) – From the CGS system, an older unit that theoretical physicists used. 1 statcoulomb is approximately equal to 3.33564 × 10⁻¹⁰ coulombs. Mostly replaced by SI units now.

Why it's important to measure electric charge

There are many ways to measure electric charge that are very important:

• To know about current, battery life, and how circuits work in electronics.
• In physics, to learn about particles, atoms, and the forces that move them.
• In engineering—for safety in electrical systems.
• To understand ion and electron-based chemical reactions.

Without the knowledge of being able to measure and understand charge, science and technology would not be modern as it is.
Heart monitors read the electrical charges that the heart generates.

Conclusion

Electricity is one of the most essential things in nature, but it cannot be perceived by human senses. But from microscopic particles to massive machines, it literally keeps the world turning. Coulomb provides us with a common language regarding appreciating and measuring this stuff. That is, you are using electric charge when charging your phone at home or studying circuits in school.