Electric Charge

Electric charge is a physical property of matter responsible for electric forces and interactions. There are two kinds of charge: positive charge and negative charge Like charges repel each other: positive + positive → repel negative + negative → repel Unlike charges attract: positive + negative → attract The SI unit of charge is the coulomb (C).

Atoms contain: * positively charged protons; * negatively charged electrons; * electrically neutral neutrons. An atom is neutral when the total positive and negative charges balance. If an object gains electrons, it becomes negatively charged. If it loses electrons, it becomes positively charged.

Electric charge is conserved. Charge is not created or destroyed in ordinary charging processes. It is transferred from one body to another.

Charge occurs in discrete amounts related to the elementary charge: **e = 1.6 × 10⁻¹⁹ C** Charge can be written as: **Q = ne** where `n` is an integer.