Conservation of Charge
Contents
Key Stage 5
Meaning
The law of conservation of charge states that charge cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be transferred from one particle to another.
About Conservation of Charge
- The overall charge of the Universe is zero.
- If a charged particle comes into existence another particle with opposite charge must also come into existence.
- Conservation of charge can be applied to all fundamental interactions to balance the equations and to ascertain the types of particles produced.
Examples
| \(p\) | \(+\) | \(\bar\nu_e\) | \(\rightarrow\) | \(n\) | \(+\) | \(\beta^+\) | |
| Charge | \(+1\) | \(+\) | \(0\) | \(=\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(+1\) |
| Baryon Number | \(+1\) | \(+\) | \(0\) | \(=\) | \(+1\) | \(+\) | \(0\) |
| Lepton Number | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(+1\) | \(=\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(+1\) |
| Strangeness | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) | \(=\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) |
| \(n\) | \(+\) | \(\nu_e\) | \(\rightarrow\) | \(p\) | \(+\) | \(\beta^-\) | |
| Charge | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) | \(=\) | \(+1\) | \(+\) | \(-1\) |
| Baryon Number | \(+1\) | \(+\) | \(0\) | \(=\) | \(+1\) | \(+\) | \(0\) |
| Lepton Number | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(+1\) | \(=\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(+1\) |
| Strangeness | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) | \(=\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) |
| \(p\) | \(+\) | \(\bar\nu_{\mu}\) | \(\rightarrow\) | \(n\) | \(+\) | \(\mu^+\) | |
| Charge | \(+1\) | \(+\) | \(0\) | \(=\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(+1\) |
| Baryon Number | \(+1\) | \(+\) | \(0\) | \(=\) | \(+1\) | \(+\) | \(0\) |
| Lepton Number | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(+1\) | \(=\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(+1\) |
| Strangeness | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) | \(=\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) |
| \(n\) | \(+\) | \(\nu_{\mu}\) | \(\rightarrow\) | \(p\) | \(+\) | \(\mu^-\) | |
| Charge | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) | \(=\) | \(+1\) | \(+\) | \(-1\) |
| Baryon Number | \(+1\) | \(+\) | \(0\) | \(=\) | \(+1\) | \(+\) | \(0\) |
| Lepton Number | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(+1\) | \(=\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(+1\) |
| Strangeness | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) | \(=\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) |
| \(p\) | \(+\) | \(e^-\) | \(\rightarrow\) | \(n\) | \(+\) | \(\nu_e\) | |
| Charge | \(+1\) | \(+\) | \(-1\) | \(=\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) |
| Baryon Number | \(+1\) | \(+\) | \(0\) | \(=\) | \(+1\) | \(+\) | \(0\) |
| Lepton Number | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(+1\) | \(=\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(+1\) |
| Strangeness | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) | \(=\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) |
| \(p\) | \(+\) | \(\pi^-\) | \(\rightarrow\) | \(K^+\) | \(+\) | \(\Sigma^-\) | |
| Charge | \(+1\) | \(+\) | \(-1\) | \(=\) | \(+1\) | \(+\) | \(-1\) |
| Baryon Number | \(+1\) | \(+\) | \(0\) | \(=\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(+1\) |
| Lepton Number | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) | \(=\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) |
| Strangeness | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) | \(=\) | \(+1\) | \(+\) | \(-1\) |
| \(n\) | \(+\) | \(\pi^-\) | \(\rightarrow\) | \(K^0\) | \(+\) | \(\Sigma^-\) | |
| Charge | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(-1\) | \(=\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(-1\) |
| Baryon Number | \(+1\) | \(+\) | \(0\) | \(=\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(+1\) |
| Lepton Number | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) | \(=\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) |
| Strangeness | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) | \(=\) | \(+1\) | \(+\) | \(-1\) |
| \(n\) | \(+\) | \(\pi^+\) | \(\rightarrow\) | \(K^+\) | \(+\) | \(\Sigma^0\) | |
| Charge | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(+1\) | \(=\) | \(+1\) | \(+\) | \(0\) |
| Baryon Number | \(+1\) | \(+\) | \(0\) | \(=\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(+1\) |
| Lepton Number | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) | \(=\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) |
| Strangeness | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) | \(=\) | \(+1\) | \(+\) | \(-1\) |
| \(p\) | \(+\) | \(\bar p\) | \(\rightarrow\) | \(\pi^+\) | \(+\) | \(\pi^-\) | |
| Charge | \(+1\) | \(+\) | \(-1\) | \(=\) | \(+1\) | \(+\) | \(-1\) |
| Baryon Number | \(+1\) | \(+\) | \(-1\) | \(=\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) |
| Lepton Number | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) | \(=\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) |
| Strangeness | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) | \(=\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) |
| \(p\) | \(\rightarrow\) | \(n\) | \(+\) | \(\beta^+\) | \(+\) | \(\nu_e\) | |
| Charge | \(+1\) | \(=\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(+1\) | \(+\) | \(0\) |
| Baryon Number | \(+1\) | \(=\) | \(+1\) | \(+\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) |
| Lepton Number | \(0\) | \(=\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(-1\) | \(+\) | \(+1\) |
| Strangeness | \(0\) | \(=\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) |
| \(n\) | \(\rightarrow\) | \(p\) | \(+\) | \(\beta^-\) | \(+\) | \(\bar\nu_e\) | |
| Charge | \(0\) | \(=\) | \(+1\) | \(+\) | \(-1\) | \(+\) | \(0\) |
| Baryon Number | \(+1\) | \(=\) | \(+1\) | \(+\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) |
| Lepton Number | \(0\) | \(=\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(+1\) | \(+\) | \(-1\) |
| Strangeness | \(0\) | \(=\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) |
| \(\mu^+\) | \(\rightarrow\) | \(e^+\) | \(+\) | \(\bar\nu_{\mu}\) | \(+\) | \(\nu_{e}\) | |
| Charge | \(+1\) | \(=\) | \(+1\) | \(+\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) |
| Baryon Number | \(0\) | \(=\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) |
| Lepton Number | \(-1\) | \(=\) | \(-1\) | \(+\) | \(-1\) | \(+\) | \(+1\) |
| Strangeness | \(0\) | \(=\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) |
| \(\mu^-\) | \(\rightarrow\) | \(e^-\) | \(+\) | \(\nu_{\mu}\) | \(+\) | \(\bar\nu_{e}\) | |
| Charge | \(-1\) | \(=\) | \(-1\) | \(+\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) |
| Baryon Number | \(0\) | \(=\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) |
| Lepton Number | \(+1\) | \(=\) | \(+1\) | \(+\) | \(+1\) | \(+\) | \(-1\) |
| Strangeness | \(0\) | \(=\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) | \(+\) | \(0\) |
\(p+\bar\nu_e\rightarrow n + \beta^+\)
\(n+\nu_e\rightarrow p + \beta^-\)
\(p+\bar\nu_{\mu}\rightarrow n + \mu^+\)
\(n+\nu_{\mu}\rightarrow p + \mu^-\)
\(p\rightarrow n + \beta^+ + \nu_e\)
\(n\rightarrow p + \beta^- + \bar\nu_e\)
\(p + e^- \rightarrow n + \nu_e\)
\(p + \pi^- \rightarrow K^+ + \Sigma^-\)
\(n + \pi^- \rightarrow K^0 + \Sigma^-\)
\(n + \pi^+ \rightarrow K^+ + \Sigma^0\)
\(p + p \rightarrow p+p+p+\bar p\)
\(p + \bar p \rightarrow \pi^+ + \pi^-\)
\(\mu^+ \rightarrow e^+ + \bar\nu_{\mu}+\nu_{e}\)
\(\mu^- \rightarrow e^- + \nu_{\mu}+\bar\nu_{e}\)