8.1 Current and charge

Question 1

What is electric current?

Answer 1

Electric current is the rate of flow of electric charge.
I=Q/t
Q = charge which is measured in coulombs (C)
I = current which is measured in amps (A)
t = time which is measured in seconds (s)

Question 2

What is the elementary charge constant?

Answer 2

e=1.6x10^-19C

Question 3

What is electric charge?

Answer 3

Electric charge is a physical property that all bodies possess and there are two different types of charge:
● Positive (+) charge
● negative (-) charge

Question 4

How do charges interact with each other?

Answer 4

Charges interact via the electrostatic force and depending on the types of charges, there are two possibilities:
● two of the same charge will repel
● two opposite charges will attract

Question 5

What is the base unit of electric charge?

Answer 5

The coulomb (C) is the base unit of electric charge.
One coulomb (1C) of charge is defined as the amount of charge that passes a point per second when there is a current of one amp (1 A).

Question 6

What is net charge?

Answer 6

The charge on most objects results from either a gain or a loss of electrons by the object.
The net charge can be expressed as a multiple of e: Q=±ne

Question 7

How do you calculate the number of electrons or the total charge?

Answer 7

number of electrons = total charge/ charge in each electron (1.6x10^-19)
total charge = number of electrons x charge in each electron (1.6x10^-19)