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Electric charge is a conserved property: the net charge of an isolated system, the quantity of positive charge minus the amount of negative charge, cannot change. Electric charge is carried by subatomic particles. In ordinary matter, negative charge is carried by electrons, and positive charge is carried by the protons in the nuclei of atoms ...
By convention, the direction of the electric field is the same as the direction of the force on positive charges and opposite to the direction of the force on negative charges. [3] [4] Because positive charges are repelled by other positive charges and are attracted to negative charges, this means the electric fields point away from positive ...
Electric charges attract or repel one another with a force inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them: opposite charges attract, like charges repel. [ 7 ] Magnetic poles (or states of polarization at individual points) attract or repel one another in a manner similar to positive and negative charges and always exist as ...
There are two main types of electrical charge: positive and negative. Each type of charge attracts the opposite type and repels the same type. This can be stated in the following way: Like charges repel and unlike charges attract. Static electricity has several applications.
If both charges have the same sign (like charges) then the product is positive and the direction of the force on is given by ^; the charges repel each other. If the charges have opposite signs then the product is negative and the direction of the force on is ^; the charges attract each other.
When the charges and have the same sign this force is positive, directed away from the other charge, indicating the particles repel each other. When the charges have unlike signs the force is negative, indicating the particles attract.
For example, the magnitude of the elementary charge on positive and negative particles must be extremely close to equal, differing by no more than a factor of 10 −21 for the case of protons and electrons. [12] Ordinary matter contains equal numbers of positive and negative particles, protons and electrons, in enormous quantities. If the ...
The electrostatic field (lines with arrows) of a nearby positive charge (+) causes the mobile charges in metal objects to separate. Negative charges (blue) are attracted and move to the surface of the object facing the external charge. Positive charges (red) are repelled and move to the surface facing away. These induced surface charges create ...