Coulomb

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/coulomb

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the magnitude of elementary charge?One Coulomb is equal to approximately 6.241509 x 10^18 elementary charges (e)
2. How is a coulomb related to current and time?Because current is the flow of charge, we can calculate a coulomb by multiplying the amount of current (in amperes) by the time (in seconds) it flows. So if one ampere flows for one second, that is one coulomb.
3. Why do we use coulombs instead of the elementary charge?The elementary charge is the smallest piece of charge, but it is tiny. A coulomb represents a huge number of those tiny pieces, so it is easier to use for everyday measurements in physics and engineering.

Electric Potential: The amount of electric potential energy per unit charge, measured in volts (V).
Quantization of Charge: The principle that electric charge exists only in discrete multiples of the elementary charge (e).
SI Derived Units: Units in the International System of Units that are formed by combining base units through mathematical relationships.