Electric charge facts for kids
Electric charge is a basic property of electrons, protons and other subatomic particles. Electrons are negatively charged while protons are positively charged. Things that are negatively charged and things that are positively charged pull on (attract) each other. This makes electrons and protons stick together to form atoms. Things that have the same charge push each other away (they repel each other). This is called the Law of Charges. It was discovered by Charles-Augustin de Coulomb. The law that describes how strongly charges pull and push on each other is called Coulomb's Law.
Things that have equal numbers of electrons and protons are neutral. Things that have more electrons than protons are negatively charged, while things with fewer electrons than protons are positively charged. Things with the same charge repel each other. Things that have different charges attract each other. If possible, the one with too many electrons will give enough electrons to match the number of protons in the one that has too many protons for its load of electrons. If there are just enough electrons to match the extra protons, then the two things will not attract each other anymore. When electrons move from a place where there are too many to a place where there are too few, that is called an electrical current.
When a person shuffles their feet on a carpet and then touches a brass doorknob, they may get an electrical shock. If there are enough extra electrons then the force with which those electrons push each other away may be enough to make some of the electrons jump across a gap between the person and the doorknob. The length of the spark is a measure of voltage or "electrical pressure." The number of electrons that move from one place to another per unit of time measured as amperage or "rate of electron flow."
If a person gets a positive or negative charge, it may make the person's hairs stand up because the charges in each hair push it away from the others.
Electric charge felt when one gets a shock from a doorknob or other object usually is between 25 thousand and 30 thousand volts. However, the electric current only flows briefly, so the flow of electrons through the person's body does not cause physical harm. On the other hand, when clouds gain electrical charges they have even higher voltages and the amperage (the number of electrons that will flow in the lightning strike) can be very high. That means that electrons can jump from a cloud to the earth (or from the earth to a cloud). If those electrons go through a person, then the electric shock can burn or kill.
The following experiment is described by James Clerk Maxwell in his work A Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism (1873). Normally, glass and resin are both neutrally charged. However, if they are rubbed together and then separated, they will become able to attract each other.
If a second piece of glass is rubbed with a second piece of resin, the following things will be seen:
- The two pieces of glass repel each other.
- Each piece of glass attracts each piece of resin.
- The two pieces of resin repel each other.
If a charged and an uncharged object are brought together, attraction will be very weak.
Bodies that are able to attract or repel things in this way are said to be 'electrified', or to be 'charged with electricity'. When two different substances are rubbed together, an electrical charge is produced because one of them will give electrons to the other. The reason is that the atoms in the two substances have unequal power to attract electrons. So the one that is more able to attract electrons will take electrons from the one that has a lower attractive force. If glass is rubbed against something else, it may either give or take electrons. What happens depends on what the other thing is.
Things that have taken electrons are called "negatively charged", and things that have given up electrons are called "positively charged". There is no special reason for these names. It is just an arbitrary (random choice) convention (agreement).
Besides being electrified by friction, bodies may be electrified in many other ways.
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In Spanish: Carga eléctrica para niños
Electric charge Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.
Mshtuko wa umeme ni mali ya msingi ya elektroni, protoni na chembe nyingine za chini ya atomu. Elektroni zina nishati hasi huku protoni zikiwa na nishati nzuri. Vitu ambavyo vina nishati hasi na vitu ambavyo vina nishati nzuri huvutiana. Hilo hufanya elektroni na protoni zikumbatiane na kufanyiza atomu. Vitu vyenye nishati ileile huondokana (huchukizwa). Hii inaitwa Sheria ya Mashtaka. Iligunduliwa na Charles-Augustin de Coulomb. Sheria inayoelezea jinsi mizigo inavyovutia na kushinikiza kwa nguvu inaitwa Sheria ya Coulomb. Vitu ambavyo vina idadi sawa ya elektroni na protoni ni vya neutral. Vitu vyenye elektroni nyingi kuliko protoni vina nishati hasi, wakati vitu vyenye elektroni chache kuliko protoni vina nishati nzuri. Vitu vyenye nishati ileile huingiliana. Vitu vyenye mizigo tofauti huvutiana. Ikiwa ni hivyo, moja yenye elektroni nyingi sana itatoa elektroni za kutosha kulinganisha na idadi ya protoni katika moja yenye protoni nyingi sana kwa mzigo wake wa elektroni. Ikiwa kuna elektroni za kutosha tu ili kufanana na protoni za ziada, basi vitu hivyo viwili havitapendana tena. Wakati elektroni zinahama kutoka mahali ambapo kuna wengi kupita kiasi hadi mahali ambapo kuna wachache sana, hiyo inaitwa umeme. Mtu anapocheza miguu yake juu ya zulia na kisha kugusa kidole cha mlango wa shaba, anaweza kupata mshtuko wa umeme. Ikiwa kuna elektroni za ziada za kutosha, basi nguvu ambayo elektroni hizo zinajipinga zinaweza kuwa za kutosha kufanya baadhi ya elektroni kuruka juu ya pengo kati ya mtu na mlango. Urefu wa cheche ni kipimo cha voltage au " shinikizo la umeme. " Idadi ya elektroni ambazo husafiri kutoka mahali moja hadi pengine kwa kitengo cha wakati kipimo kama amperage au "kiwango cha mtiririko wa elektroni". Ikiwa mtu anapata malipo chanya au hasi, inaweza kufanya nywele za mtu kusimama kwa sababu malipo katika kila nywele huisukuma mbali na wengine. Mshtuko wa umeme unaohisiwa wakati mtu anapopata mshtuko kutoka kwa kidole cha mlango au kitu kingine kwa kawaida ni kati ya volti elfu 25 na elfu 30 Hata hivyo, umeme hutiririka kwa muda mfupi tu, kwa hiyo mtiririko wa elektroni kupitia mwili wa mtu hausababishi madhara ya kimwili. Kwa upande mwingine, wakati mawingu kupata malipo ya umeme, wao kuwa na voltage hata juu na amperage (idadi ya elektroni ambayo itapita katika umeme) inaweza kuwa ya juu sana. Hilo lamaanisha kwamba elektroni zaweza kuruka kutoka kwenye wingu hadi duniani (au kutoka duniani hadi kwenye wingu). Ikiwa umeme huo unapita ndani ya mtu, basi mshtuko wa umeme unaweza kumchoma au kumuua. "James Clerk Maxwell aliandika juu ya ""Mfano wa umeme na sumaku"" katika kitabu chake cha A Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism (1873)." Kwa kawaida, kioo na utomvu wote wawili wana nishati isiyo na upande wowote. Hata hivyo, ikiwa zinapigwa pamoja na kisha kutenganishwa, zitaweza kuvutiana. Kama kipande cha pili cha kioo ni rubbed na kipande cha pili cha resin, mambo yafuatayo itaonekana: - vipande viwili vya kioo kukataa kila mmoja. - Kila kipande cha kioo huvutia kila kipande cha utomvu. - Vipande hivyo viwili vya utomvu huingiliana. Ikiwa kitu chenye nishati na kisicho na nishati vinaletwa pamoja, uvutano utakuwa dhaifu sana. Miili ambayo ina uwezo wa kuvutia au kukataza vitu kwa njia hii inasemekana kuwa 'iliyoongezwa umeme', au kuwa 'iliyojengwa kwa umeme'. Vitu viwili vinapochanganywa, umeme hutokea kwa sababu moja hutoa elektroni kwa nyingine. Sababu ni kwamba atomu katika vitu hivyo viwili zina nguvu zisizo sawa za kuvutia elektroni. Kwa hiyo, mtu ambaye ana uwezo mkubwa wa kuvutia elektroni atachukua elektroni kutoka kwa mtu ambaye ana nguvu ya chini ya kuvutia. Ikiwa kioo kinagongwa dhidi ya kitu kingine, kinaweza kutoa au kuchukua elektroni. Kile kinachotokea inategemea kile kingine ni nini. Vitu ambavyo vimechukua elektroni huitwa "vimejibiwa vibaya", na vitu ambavyo vimeacha elektroni huitwa "vimejibiwa vizuri". Hakuna sababu ya pekee ya majina hayo. Ni tu arbitrary (chaguo random) mkataba (makubaliano). Mbali na kuwa na umeme kwa msuguano, miili yaweza kuwa na umeme kwa njia nyingine nyingi. Picha kwa ajili ya watoto Katika Kihispania: Carga eléctrica para niños Electric charge Facts for Kids. Ensaiklopedia ya Kiddle.