Electric charge is a property of matter that interacts with other charged objects. Atoms consist of protons, neutrons, and electrons, with the force of attraction between protons and electrons holding the atom together. When an atom gains or loses electrons, it becomes an ion with a net positive or negative charge. Ions can attract or repel other charged particles, and can form chemical compounds. Electric charge can create an electric current, with metals commonly used as conductors.
Electric charge is a physical property that occurs naturally in matter. An object with an electrical charge interacts with other electrically charged objects in specific ways, experiencing an attractive or repulsive force. The nature of the force is determined by the type of charge, positive or negative, that the object possesses. This, in turn, is determined on a subatomic scale by particles known as protons and electrons.
All matter is made up of atoms, which consist of a nucleus – a group of protons and neutrons, which are two types of particles – and particles that orbit the nucleus, called electrons. The force of attraction between protons and electrons in an atom helps hold the atom together. Negatively charged electrons and positively charged protons attract each other. Neutrons have no electric charge.
The protons and electrons in an atom are equal, so they balance each other to create a net charge of zero. It is possible, however, for the atom to lose or gain electrons through interactions with other atoms. When this happens, the atom becomes an ion, an atom that carries a net positive or negative charge.
Ions that have more electrons than their original elemental form carry a negative charge, while those with fewer electrons carry a positive charge. The charge causes them to attract or repel other charged particles. Chemical compounds can form when a positive and a negative ion are attracted to and bond with each other. For example, the positively charged sodium ion, which lacks an electron, forms an ionic bond with the negatively charged chlorine ion, which has an extra electron, to create the neutral sodium chloride molecule, also known as table salt.
The attraction and repulsion caused by electric charge can be used to create an electric current, or charge flow, and a material that can carry an electric current is known as a conductor. Metals are commonly used as conductors because the arrangement of their atoms allows electrons to pass freely from one atom to another. When a positively charged terminal is connected to one end of a wire and a negatively charged terminal to the other, the charges create an electric field. The electrons migrate towards the positive charge, creating an electric current.
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