electric charge
Let an agent explain electric charge as a physical quantity, relay its units, constants and laws from SI and reference sources, distinguish it from current, voltage and related quantities, and support calculation and teaching.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify
Researched by: Claude
Purpose and description
Let an agent explain electric charge as a physical quantity, relay its units, constants and laws from SI and reference sources, distinguish it from current, voltage and related quantities, and support calculation and teaching.
The physical property of matter that causes it to experience a force in an electromagnetic field, existing in positive and negative kinds, conserved, quantised in units of the elementary charge carried by electrons and protons, and measured in coulombs; charge is the source of electric fields and, when moving, of electric current and magnetic fields.
What it is for: Not for anything; a fundamental property of matter.
It can be explain the property and its conservation and quantisation; relay units and the elementary charge value; apply Coulomb law and related relations; distinguish charge from current, potential and capacitance.
Distinguishing features
Two kinds, positive and negative
Conserved in all known processes
Quantised in units of e, with fractional charges of quarks confined
Source of electromagnetic interaction
What it looks like
Not visible; observed through forces, sparks, attraction and instruments.
Physical character
elementary charge: 1.602176634 times 10 to the minus 19 C - exact by SI definition
electron charge: minus one elementary charge e
unit: coulomb C - ampere second
How it is recognised
Quantity measured in coulombs
Positive and negative kinds that attract or repel
Current is charge per time; voltage is energy per charge
Related models
is a kind of - a scalar quantity
is measured in - the SI unit
produces - through Coulomb law
is confused with - the rate of flow of charge
In practice
Families and kinds
positive and negative charge
free and bound charge
point, surface and volume charge distributions
charge in chemistry: ionic, formal and partial charge
charge on particles: electron, proton, quarks
Identifiers
SI unit symbol C coulomb
quantity symbol Q or q ISO 80000-6
Standards and regulation
SI Brochure from BIPM
ISO 80000-6 electromagnetic quantities
CODATA recommended values
Failure modes and hazards
Confusing charge with current or voltage
Electrostatic discharge damaging electronics
Sign errors in calculations
Mixing chemical and physical senses of charge
Also called
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.
Concept What charge is.
Definition.
Definition
Definition and properties.
Definition
Definition.
- What is electric charge, and what do conservation and quantisation mean? definition
- Is the question about charge, current, voltage or a chemical sense of charge? boundary
Units
Units and constants.
Units
Units.
- What are the unit and the elementary charge, and how are they defined in the SI? measurement
- Which reference gives the constants? provenance
Laws Laws and fields.
Physics.
Coulomb
Coulomb law.
Coulomb
Coulomb.
- How does Coulomb law describe the force between charges, and how is the field defined? definition
- Which entry fits the electric field? action
Dynamics
Moving charge.
Dynamics
Dynamics.
- How does moving charge produce current and magnetic fields? definition
- Which entry fits electromagnetism? action
Measure Measuring charge.
Measurement.
Methods
Methods.
Methods
Methods.
- How is charge measured, from electrometers to integrating current? measurement
- What accuracy do methods give? measurement
Static
Electrostatics in practice.
Static
Static.
- How does static charge build up, and what precautions protect electronics and people? provenance
- Which entry fits electrostatic discharge? action
Learn Particles and teaching.
Study.
Particles
Charge of particles.
Particles
Particles.
- What charges do elementary particles carry, and why are fractional charges not observed freely? provenance
- Which entry fits particle physics? action
Teach
Teaching.
Teach
Teaching.
- How is charge taught, and which misconceptions arise? provenance
- Which references are standard? provenance
What the second pass must settle
- Should chemical charge concepts be separate entries?
- How should CODATA values be linked by release?
- The registry entry has merged aliases from protein charge to inductive charging; should they be split off?