Electric Charge Converter
Convert between units of electric charge like coulombs, elementary charges, and ampere-hours.
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Unit Information
Coulomb (C)
Definition: The SI unit of electric charge, equal to the charge of approximately 6.242 × 10¹⁸ electrons.
History: Named after French physicist Charles-Augustin de Coulomb, who formulated the law describing the electrostatic force between charges.
Current Use: The standard unit for quantifying electric charge in physics, engineering, and chemistry.
Elementary Charge (e)
Definition: The electric charge carried by a single proton (+) or electron (-), approximately 1.602 × 10⁻¹⁹ C.
History: First accurately measured by Robert A. Millikan in his famous oil drop experiment in 1909, proving that charge is quantized.
Current Use: A fundamental constant in physics, crucial for calculations in atomic physics, particle physics, and chemistry.
Faraday (F)
Definition: An older unit of electric charge equal to the total charge of one mole of electrons (approximately 96,485 coulombs).
History: Named after Michael Faraday, whose pioneering work in electrolysis established the relationship between electricity and chemical reactions.
Current Use: Now largely historical, but still encountered in electrochemistry and physics to relate charge to molar quantities.
Ampere-hour (Ah)
Definition: A unit of electric charge, representing the charge transferred by a steady current of one ampere for one hour (equal to 3600 coulombs).
History: Developed as a practical and intuitive measure for the capacity of electrochemical cells (batteries).
Current Use: The industry standard for specifying the capacity of batteries, from small consumer electronics to large electric vehicle battery packs.
All Unit Conversions
Did you know?
- A typical lightning bolt transfers about 15 coulombs of charge.
- The total charge of all protons in the observable universe is thought to be equal and opposite to the total charge of all electrons.
- The concept of charge conservation is a fundamental law of physics, meaning charge can neither be created nor destroyed.
Related Categories
Common Conversions
Convert Coulombs to Ampere-hours
C / 3600
Convert Elementary Charge to Coulombs
e * 1.602176634e-19
Convert Ampere-hours to Coulombs
Ah * 3600