Elementary Charge | Show Me The Physics

Elementary
Charge

Elementary Charge lesson illustration

Could an ion ever have a charge of -1.5 or +4.5 ?

Where did the charge go?

School blocks YouTube? Use the file below.

The charge went into the glass.

See Leyden Jar at Wikipedia

E) Elementary Charge - smallest charge known to exist in nature

Charges come in whole number multiples of

1.6 x 10^-19 Coulombs

+1.6 x 10^-19 C

(Reference)

-1.6 x 10^-19 C

(Reference)

Ex) Object has 4 p, 1 e-, charge?

+ 3 elem. charges or ...

+ 4.8 x 10^-19 C

Ex) How many excess charges are there in an object with a charge of -9.6 x 10^–19 C?

6 excess electrons

Divide by
1.6 X 10^-19 Coulombs

To find # of

elementary charges

Ex) A metal sphere -1.1 × 10^-6 C. How many more electrons than protons are on the sphere?

a) 1.8 × 10¹²	b) 5.7 × 10¹²
c) 6.9 × 10¹²	d) 9.9 × 10¹²

Ratio

1 elementary charge

1.6 X 10^-19 coulombs

Divide by 1.6 × 10^-19 C

Scientific Notation/TI83Plus

-1.1 × 10^-6 C

(1.6 × 10^-19 C)

c) 6.9 × 10¹² electrons

Ex) An object can have a charge of

a) 3.2 x 10^-19 C	b) 4.5 x 10^-19 C
c) 8.0 x 10^-19 C	d) 9.6 x 10^-19 C

b) 4.5 x 10^-19 C not possible

(not an even multiple
of 1.6 x 10^-19 C)

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Check Your Understanding

5 quick questions — pick an answer to see if you’re right.

1. What is the elementary charge?

2. An object has 4 protons and 1 electron. What is its net charge?

3. An object has a charge of −9.6 × 10⁻¹⁹ C. How many excess electrons does it have?

4. Which charge is NOT possible for an object?

5. Could an ion have a charge of −1.5 elementary charges?