Physics Fundamentals
Beginner4 MIN_EST
The Coulomb Unit
Understanding the SI unit of electric charge
Full Analysis
Intel Stream Decrypted
The Coulomb (C) is the fundamental SI unit of electric charge. If a 'liter' measures water, a 'coulomb' measures electricity. One coulomb is transported in one second by a current of one ampere. A single coulomb is massive—it takes ~6.242 × 10¹⁸ electrons to equal just one negative coulomb. The elementary charge (single electron/proton) is ±1.602 × 10⁻¹⁹ C. This tiny charge per particle, combined with Coulomb's Law, explains why even small charge imbalances create enormous electrostatic forces.
Strategic_Takeaway
"1 Coulomb = charge of ~6.242×10¹⁸ electrons. Tiny charges create massive forces."
Universal_Constants
elementary charge
1.602176634e-19 C
electrons per coulomb
6.242e18
definition
1 A × 1 s = 1 C