Electrostatic Charge

Introduction to Electrostatic Charge:

Electrostatic charges are of two kinds : positive charge, negative charge. These names were given by ‘Benjamin Franklin’ in 1750.  For example – If we rub a glass rod with silk, the rod becomes charged. Similarly, an ebonite rod on being rubbed with cat-skin becomes charged. But the electrostatic charges of these rods are of different types, the one which is developed I the glass rod on rubbing it with silk and the other which is developed in the ebonite rod on rubbing it with cat-skin. The first is called the ‘Positive charge’ and the second is called the ‘negative charge’. These charges are called as electrostatic charges because they don’t move in the material.

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Quantization of Electrostatic Charges


Millikan’s oil drop experiment, and many other experiments have shown that in nature electric charges are found to be made up of integral multiples of a smallest amount of charge. This smallest amount is 1.6 x 10^-19 coulomb. It is denoted by ‘e’, and is charge of an electron. All existing charges are found to be ‘ne’ (where n is a positive or negative integer) such as   e, 2e, 3e, ……, -e, -2e, -3e,……… No charge is found in the fraction of e ( as 0.7e or 2.5e). it means that electric charges can’t be divided indefinitely.

This property of charge is called as ‘quantization’ or ‘atomicity’ of charge. Since e is the smallest unit of charge, it is called as ‘elementary charge’.

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Law of Electrostatic Charges


As per law of electrostatic charges ‘ Like charges  repel each other while unlike charges attract each other’. The force of repulsion or attraction between two like or unlike charges is called as ‘ Coulombian force’.   For example-  a positive charge will attract another negative charge while repel another positive charge. Similarly a negative charge will attract another positive charge while repel another negative charge.