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The elementary charge, usually denoted by e, is a fundamental physical constant, defined as the electric charge carried by a single proton (+1 e) or, equivalently, the magnitude of the negative electric charge carried by a single electron, which has charge −1 e. [2] [a]
Charge is quantized: it comes in integer multiples of individual small units called the elementary charge, e, about 1.602 × 10 −19 C, [1] which is the smallest charge that can exist freely. Particles called quarks have smaller charges, multiples of 1 / 3 e , but they are found only combined in particles that have a charge that is an ...
Charge number (denoted z) is a quantized and dimensionless quantity derived from electric charge, with the quantum of electric charge being the elementary charge (e, constant). The charge number equals the electric charge ( q , in coulombs ) divided by the elementary charge: z = q / e .
The constants listed here are known values of physical constants expressed in SI units; that is, physical quantities that are generally believed to be universal in nature and thus are independent of the unit system in which they are measured.
The coulomb was originally defined, using the latter definition of the ampere, as 1 A × 1 s. [4] The 2019 redefinition of the ampere and other SI base units fixed the numerical value of the elementary charge when expressed in coulombs and therefore fixed the value of the coulomb when expressed as a multiple of the fundamental charge.
Electrons have an electric charge of −1.602 176 634 × 10 −19 coulombs, [80] which is used as a standard unit of charge for subatomic particles, and is also called the elementary charge. Within the limits of experimental accuracy, the electron charge is identical to the charge of a proton, but with the opposite sign. [83]
In solid state physics, a charge carrier is a particle or quasiparticle that is free to move, carrying an electric charge, especially the particles that carry electric charges in electrical conductors. [1] Examples are electrons, ions and holes. [2]
A proton by definition carries a charge of exactly 1.602 176 634 × 10 −19 coulombs. This value is also defined as the elementary charge. No object can have a charge smaller than the elementary charge, and any amount of charge an object may carry is a multiple of the elementary charge.