Conservation of charge

A charge is a property associated with and related to the matter. It is a physical property that experiences a specific force when placed in an electromagnetic or electric field.

A charge experiences different electrical and magnetic effects. The SI unit of an electric charge is called Coulomb. French engineer Charles-Augustin de Coulomb first defined the conservation of charge.  

Conservation of Charge

According to the law of conservation of charge, the total electrical charge in any system always remains constant. It means that there are an equal amount of positive and negative charges. Hence, the total charge of the universe is conserved and remains constant.

The net charge of a body depends on the number of its electrons and protons. The electrons are negatively charged particles, and protons are positively charged particles. When a body is neutral, the electrons and the protons are exactly the same in number. Therefore, the conservation of charge is always maintained. 

Explanation of the Conservation of Charge

To understand the conservation of charge in a microstructure, one must understand the composition of different bodies.

The first is the fact of the neutral charge. To remain constant and for the charge to be conserved, there needs to be a balance in the whole system. 

The number of protons or the positive charge should be  equal to the electron or the negative charge in a neutral system. Hence, these two charges balance each other.

Example of Conservation of Charge

According to the conservation of charge, one understands that the total charge of a body is always constant. That is, a body cannot create its own charge. Hence, it is always responsible for gain or loss in charge, making it positive or negative. 

Some examples:

• Induction 

The charge produced due to induction is not something a body produces. Rather, it is the exchange of charge from one body to another to induce a specific amount of charge. 

When we rub two bodies with each other to produce electrostatic force, electrons flow from the high polarity body to the lower polarity one. Here, conservation of charge comes into the picture as there is no net charge production, but there is a flow of charge from a higher polarity body to a lower polarity one.

• Radioactive Decay

During such a process, there is the decay of different constituents of the atom. For example, if you observe the disintegration of a proton, you see it splitting into a positron and a neutron. The splitting up of charges is basically the conservation of energy in a specific way.  

Electric Charge Definition

Defining electric charge as an entity could be very difficult. However, we can say that an electrical charge is a physical property that experiences a specific force when placed in an electromagnetic or electric field. 

These charges are fundamental properties representing electric forces and movement. They could be positive or negative. The normal convention gives the electrons negative charges, while the proton is positive.  

Electric Charges along with Electric Field

Electric charges are a particular physical body responsible for the formation of special electric fields. Interaction with different forces, such as electromagnetic forces, can create unique attraction and repulsion. 

The electric field lines can trace the electromagnetic force.

Coulomb’s Law

According to Coulomb’s law, the electrostatic force between two different objects is dependent on the charge of the bodies. 

There are also few uncharged bodies in any substance, known as neutrons. These neutral bodies don’t help in generating electrostatic force. 

Properties of Electric Charge

Electric charges vary depending on their nature, attraction, and repulsion in different fields. Some basic properties and characteristics of electric charges are:

• A charge is a scalar quantity. 

The direction of its flow is not well-defined. Any quantity that does not have a fixed direction is scalar.

• Two like charges repel each other, and two unlike charges attract each other.

One of the most remarkable properties of electrical charge is the factor of repulsion and attraction. 

When we expose two like charges to each other, they will repel each other by electromagnetic force. Likewise, when we place two unlike charges close to each other, they tend to attract.  

• An electric charge always has a certain mass. 

Without the mass of a body, an electric charge cannot exist. 

Addition of the Charge and its Concept

A charge has an additive property. When two different bodies with different masses and different electrical charges are combined, we can easily add the total net charge.

According to the conservation law of charge, a system’s total or net charge is always conserved. 

Conclusion

Electric charges are special entities that create electrical fields. The SI unit of an electric charge is called Coulomb. According to the law of conservation of charge, the total electrical charge in any system always remains constant. An example of conservation of charge is the production of charges by induction. Electric charges, depending on their nature, attract, repel in different fields.