Conservation of Charge

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Conservation of charge is the principle that the sum of the electrical charge of a closed system is constant.

The Main Idea

The idea that the net charge of a closed system is constant implies that: if a charge appears in a previously neutral system, an equal and opposite charge appears in another part of the system. Individual charges, however, can be created or destroyed. The sum of all electrical charge in the universe, then, is assumed to be some constant quantity (presumably zero, although this is not certain).

A Mathematical Model

Given the intial and final times (Ti and Tf), the charge of a system can be described using the equation Q(Tf) = Q(Ti) + Qin - Qout

A Computational Model

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Examples

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Simple

A system contains three particles: particle 1 has a charge of 2Q, particle 2 has a charge of -2Q, and particle 3 has a charge of 3Q. What is the net charge on the system?

Solution:

Add the charges together to get the net charge.

-2 + 2 + 3 = 3 Q

Middling

A system contains two spheres of the same mass. Sphere 1 has a charge of -1C and Sphere 2 has a charge of + 5C. The two spheres are brought together, touch, and are separated again. What is the net charge on each of the two spheres?

Solution:

Since the two spheres have the same mass, the charge will distribute itself evenly between the two spheres. Add the two charges, then divide by 2.

(-1+5)/2 = 3 C

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See also

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