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Elementary Charge

Revision as of 09:38, 28 July 2019 by NRJC (talk | contribs) (Key Stage 5)
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Key Stage 5

Meaning

The elementary charge (e) is the charge of a proton, +1.60x10-19 Coulombs.

About The Elementary Charge

The W+ boson, π+ meson and K+ meson all carry the elementary charge (+1.60x10-19 Coulombs).
The electron, W- boson, π- meson and K- meson all carry an charge the same magnitude as the elementary charge but with the opposite sign (-1.60x10-19 Coulombs).
During the weak interaction both quarks and leptons can change in charge by a magnitude of the elementary charge.
The electronvolt is a unit of energy used for subatomic particles and can be calculated by dividing the energy in Joules by the magnitude of the elementary charge.

Subatomic Particle Charges as a fraction of Elementary Charge

Particle Charge/e
Proton (\(p\)) \(+1\)
Electron (\(e\)) \(-1\)
Muon (\(\mu\)) \(-1\)
π+ meson (\(\pi^+\)) \(+1\)
π- meson (\(\pi^-\)) \(-1\)
K+ meson (\(K^+\)) \(+1\)
K- meson (\(K^-\)) \(-1\)
Up-quark (\(u\)) \(+\frac{2}{3}\)
Down-quark (\(d\)) \(-\frac{1}{3}\)
Strange-quark (\(s\)) \(-\frac{1}{3}\)
Top-quark (\(t\)) \(+\frac{2}{3}\)
Bottom-quark (\(b\)) \(-\frac{1}{3}\)
Charm-quark (\(c\)) \(+\frac{2}{3}\)