Electric Charge Converter

Easily convert between different units of electric charge including coulomb, elementary charge, statcoulomb, and other specialized electrical units.

Charge Converter

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About Electric Charge Conversion

Electric charge is a fundamental physical property of matter that causes it to experience a force when placed in an electromagnetic field. It is a conserved quantity, meaning that the total charge in an isolated system does not change over time.

Common Electric Charge Conversions

  • 1 coulomb (C) = 1000 millicoulombs (mC)
  • 1 coulomb (C) = 1,000,000 microcoulombs (μC)
  • 1 coulomb (C) = 6.242 × 1018 elementary charges (e)
  • 1 coulomb (C) = 2.998 × 109 statcoulombs (statC)
  • 1 coulomb (C) = 1 ampere-second (A·s)
  • 1 ampere-hour (A·h) = 3600 coulombs (C)
  • 1 elementary charge (e) = 1.602 × 10-19 coulombs (C)

Understanding Electric Charge

Electric charge comes in two types: positive and negative. Like charges repel each other, while opposite charges attract. The SI unit of electric charge is the coulomb (C), which is defined as the amount of charge transported by a constant current of one ampere in one second.

The smallest measured free-standing electric charge is the elementary charge (e), which is the charge carried by a single proton or, equivalently, the magnitude of the charge carried by a single electron. Its value is approximately 1.602 × 10-19 coulombs.

Applications of Electric Charge

Understanding electric charge and its measurements is essential in many fields:

  • Electrical engineering (circuit design, component specifications)
  • Electronics (capacitor selection, battery capacity)
  • Particle physics (subatomic particle characterization)
  • Chemistry (electrochemistry, ionic bonding)
  • Material science (semiconductor properties)
  • Medical physics (radiation therapy, medical imaging)

Interesting Facts About Electric Charge

  • One coulomb of charge represents approximately 6.242 × 1018 elementary charges (electrons or protons).
  • A typical AA battery delivers about 2000-3000 coulombs of charge during its lifetime.
  • Lightning strikes typically transfer 15-20 coulombs of charge, though the largest can transfer up to 350 coulombs.
  • The statcoulomb (or franklin) is a unit in the CGS electrostatic system of units, approximately equal to 3.336 × 10-10 coulombs.

Our electric charge converter provides accurate conversions between all these units, making it easy to translate between different measurement systems for scientific, engineering, and educational purposes.