42

Interactions Between Electric
Charges

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43

There are two types of
electric charges:

positive and negative

What is Electric Charge?

Electric charge is the physical property of matter that causes it
to

experience a force when close to other electrically charged

matter.

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Positive or Negative?

Do you know who coined the
terms positive and negative
charge?

Remember all atoms are
composed of 3 basic
subatomic particles.

What were those particles?

Benjamin Franklin

positive - proton

negative - electron
neutral - neutron

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Objects that are
positively charged
are out of balance,
meaning they have
more protons than
electrons.

+ ­ +
+ + ­
+ + +

Since the box has more protons (+) than electrons(­),
it is POSITIVELY CHARGED.

Positive Charge

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Objects that are
negatively charged
are out of balance,
meaning they have
more electrons than
protons.

Since the box has more electrons(­) than protons (+),
it is NEGATIVELY CHARGED.

Negative Charge

+ ­ +
+ ­ ­
­ ­ ­