Elektrilaengu

Elektrilaeng is the Estonian term for electric charge. It is a fundamental property of matter that causes it to experience a force when placed in an electromagnetic field. Electric charge can be positive or negative. Like charges repel each other, while opposite charges attract. The SI unit of electric charge is the coulomb, denoted by the symbol C.

The smallest unit of electric charge observed in nature is the elementary charge, which is the magnitude of the charge of a single electron or proton. The electron carries a negative elementary charge, while the proton carries a positive elementary charge. The neutron, however, carries no electric charge. In most macroscopic objects, the total electric charge is the sum of the charges of all the electrons and protons within them.

Electric charge is conserved, meaning that it cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred from one object to another. This principle is known as the law of conservation of electric charge. When objects are rubbed together, a process called charging by friction can occur, where electrons are transferred from one object to another, resulting in one object becoming positively charged and the other negatively charged.

Understanding electric charge is crucial in many areas of physics and engineering, including electromagnetism, electronics, and materials science. It underlies phenomena such as static electricity, electric currents, and the behavior of atoms and molecules.