# Charge and Coulombs ($C$)

Charge is the property of matter that causes force to be exerted in an electromagnetic field. Protons are positively charged and electrons are negatively charged. Charge is measured in coulombs ($C$). One coulomb is approximately equal to $6.2415090744 \cdot 10^{18}$ elementary charges (i.e. electrons or protons). The charge of one electron is therefore $-1.602176565 \cdot 10^{-19}C$.

Coulombs form the basis for amps, which describe the amount of charge moving past a fixed point per second (the "flow"), and volts, which describe the difference in charge between two points. One coulomb is equal to one amp ($A$) per second ($s$), or $C = A/s$, and one coulomb is equal to one joule per volt, or $C = J/V$.

## Deeper Knowledge on Charge and Coulombs

### Current and Amperes

The flow of electricity, measured in amps

### Voltage and Volts

Electrical potential energy, measured in volts

## Broader Topics Related to Charge and Coulombs

### Atoms

The basic units of chemical elements

### Electricity

Energy that results from charged particles

### Electrical Engineering

Build and deconstruct electrically powered devices

### International System of Units (SI)

Formal terms and definitions of the metric system