Electric charge

All bodies consist of indivisible tiny particles,called elementary. They have mass and are able to be attracted to each other. According to the law of universal gravitation, as the distance between particles increases, the force of attraction decreases relatively slowly (it is inversely proportional to the square of the distance). The strength of the interaction of particles exceeds the force of gravity. This interaction is called "electric charge", and the particles are charged.

The interaction of particles is called electromagnetic. It is characteristic of most elementary particles. If it is not present between them, then they say that there is no charge.

Electrical charge determines the degreeintensity of electromagnetic interaction. It is the most important characteristic of elementary particles, which determines their behavior. It is indicated by the letters "q" or "Q".

The macroscopic standard of an electrical unitcharge does not exist, because it is not possible to create it because of its inevitable leakage. In atomic physics, the charge of an electron is taken as a unit. In the International System of Units, it is established with the help of current. A charge of 1 pendant (1 Cl) means that it passes at a current strength of 1 A per 1 s through the cross section of the conductor. It's a pretty high charge. A small body can not be reported. But in a neutral conductor, the charge in 1 Cl is set in motion quite realistically.

Electric charge is a scalar physical quantity that characterizes the ability of particles or bodies to enter into electromagnetic force interaction between themselves.

When studying the interaction, it is importantrepresentation of a point charge. It is a charged body, the dimensions of which are much less than the distance from it to the observation point or other charged particles. In the interaction of two point charges, the distance between them is much larger than their linear dimensions.

The particles have opposite charges: protons - positive, electrons - negative. These signs (plus and minus) reflect the ability of particles to attract (for different signs) and repel (at one). In nature, positive indicators and negative ones are compensated for each other.

The electric charge of particles is the same in absolute value,regardless of whether it is positive, like a proton, or negative, like an electron. The minimum charge is called elementary. All the charged particles possess it. It is impossible to separate a part of a particle charge. The minimum value is determined experimentally.

Electric charge and its properties can be measuredwith the help of an electrometer. It consists of an arrow rotating around the horizontal axis and a metal rod. If you touch a rod with a positively charged stick, the arrow will deviate by a certain angle. This is explained by the distribution of the charge along the arrow and the rod. The rotation of the arrow is due to the action of the repulsive force. As the charge increases, the angle of deviation from the vertical also increases. That is, it shows the value of the charge, which is transmitted to the rod of the electrometer.

The following properties of electric charge are distinguished. They can be positive and negative (the choice of names is random), which are attracted and repelled. Charges are able to be transmitted by contact from one body to another. One body in different conditions can have different charges. An important property is the discreteness, which means the existence of the smallest, universal charge, which is multiples of the analogous exponents of any bodies. Inside the closed system, the algebraic sum of all charges remains constant. In nature, charges of the same sign do not arise and do not disappear simultaneously.