Electricity is derived from the word electron, which comes from the Greek word “Elektron,” meaning “amber.” In 1600, a philosopher named William Gilbert wrote a book called “The Amber Effect,” which detailed how the mineral Amber, used to produce jewellery, becomes encrusted with minute fibres of the cloth, making it difficult to wear as an ornament.

Benjamin Franklin conducted studies later in the 18th century and inferred that there were charges, naming them positive and negative. The full revelation of this concept occurred after the battery was discovered.

Before, an atom was the most fundamental unit of matter, proven unbreakable into any further segments. Later, it got disapproved, and an atom could now be further divided into neutrons, protons, and electrons, protons being a carrier of positive and electrons of negative charge. 

The existence of these charges can also be seen and felt in daily life. For example, rubbing or touching a scale/balloon against dry hair causes one of them to become positive and the other negatively charged. Then when you bring them close, the scale/balloon begins to draw those hair strands. A balloon and dry hair are charged in the opposite direction, causing a flow of electrons when brought nearby or touched. 

Meaning And Definition Of Electric Charge

An electric charge is an inherent property of matter to experience a force when placed in an electric field. Static charges generate an electric field, and when these charges begin to move, they create a magnetic field. Current is nothing but the flow of electrons. The bills you pay are not for the consumption but just the movement of these charges (electrons) in a closed circuit. 

Protons and electrons carry 99% of the electric charge. Although these labels are wholly arbitrary, electrons have a negative charge, and protons carry a positive one. 

According to the University of Georgia’s HyperPhysics website, protons and electrons are the archetypes of the cliché “opposites attract.” On the other hand, two protons repel each other, and so do electrons. 

Types Of Electric Charge

Understanding the meaning and definition of electric charge is also essential to understanding its types. Positive and negative charges are the only two types of electric charges. They each have the same amount of charge on them, but the indicators are the opposite.

• Positive Charge

The electric field lines emerge from the positive charge, also known as a proton. A proton has a charge of +1.6 x 10-19 C . When an object is positively charged, it is assumed that it has more protons than electrons.

• Negative Charge

Negative charges are also referred to as electrons. Inside a negative charge, the electric field lines come from infinity. The charge on an electron is -1.6 x 10-19 C. When anything is said to be negatively charged, it indicates it contains more electrons than protons.

SI Unit For Charge

Coulomb is the SI unit for the charge, denoted by the letter ‘C’. A single charge has a value of C, whether positive or negative. The formula for charge flowing inside a circuit that produces electric current is as follows:

Q = I x T,

Where I is the current flowing inside the circuit (Amperes), and T is the time for which the current is flowing.

Moreover, the amount of current generated when 1 Coulomb of charge flows through a circuit in 1 second is 1 Ampere. 

Properties Of Electric Charge

Having understood the meaning and definition of electric charge, let us now study its properties.

1. Electric Charge Is Quantized: Electric charge is measured in discrete whole numbers. The smallest amount in the SI system is e = 1.6 x 10-19 C. Because no free particle can have a lower charge than this, the charge on any object has to be a whole multiple of this quantity. All macroscopic and charged objects have a charge due to electrons being added or removed from them.  
2. Electric Charge Is Conserved: Electric charges can neither be created nor destroyed; they can only be transferred from one particle to another. When two objects with equal and opposing charges are physically adjacent to one another, the (oppositely directed) forces they exert on one another cancel out, resulting in a net force of zero. It is critical to note that the charges on the items do not vanish. They move; the universe’s net charge remains constant.
3. The Charge’s Magnitude Is Unaffected By The Type: In other words, the smallest conceivable positive charge (to four significant figures) is +1.6 x 10-19 C, while the smallest possible negative charge is -1.6 x 10-19 C; the two numbers are identical. This is how our universe’s physics laws turned out. 
4. Charges Are Additive: They act like scalars and follow additive properties of algebra. Consider a system of two charges; q1 and q2. The system’s total charge will be the sum of q1 and q2, i.e. q1 + q2. The same is true for a system’s multiple charges.  

Conclusion

Electric charge is a fundamental feature of matter carried by some elementary particles that determine how they react to an electric or magnetic field. Positive and negative electric charge naturally exists in discrete units and can neither be created nor destroyed.

As previously stated, an electric charge is a property that an object can have. This is analogous to other properties of matter such as mass, a property called density, a property called temperature, etc.