Electric Charge and Electric Field

When two objects are rubbed together

When two objects are rubbed together, electrons are transferred from one to the other. The object that loses electrons becomes positively charged and

The total electric charge of

The total electric charge of an isolated system always remains constant. Charge can neither be created nor destroyed — it can only be transferred from

Electric charge always exists in discrete

Electric charge always exists in discrete (separate) packets, not as a continuous quantity. The smallest unit of charge in nature is the charge on one

Coulomb's Law gives the force between

Coulomb's Law gives the force between two stationary point charges. The electrostatic force F between charges q₁ and q₂ separated by distance r is: F

When multiple charges are present

When multiple charges are present, the net force on any one charge is the vector sum of all individual forces exerted on it by each other charge separ