Quantization of Electric Charge:
Quantization refers to the idea that certain physical quantities can only take on discrete values, as opposed to a continuous range. In the case of electric charge, it means that the total electric charge in any system is always a whole number multiple of the elementary charge. This means that charges cannot exist in fractional amounts; they must always be integral multiples of the elementary charge (denoted as e).
Elementary Charge (e):
The elementary charge is the fundamental unit of electric charge, and it has a value of: e = 1.602 × 10⁻¹⁹ C. This is the charge carried by a single proton (positive charge) or a single electron (negative charge). For example: – The charge on one electron is −e. – The charge on one proton is +e.
Quantization of Charge:
The quantization of charge implies that any object can only have a charge that is an integer multiple of e. This can be represented mathematically as: Q = n × e Where: – Q is the total charge on an object, – n is an integer (positive, negative, or zero), – e is the elementary charge (1.602 × 10⁻¹⁹ C). For instance: – If an object has a charge of 2e, it means the object carries a charge that is twice the elementary charge, or 2 × 1.602 × 10⁻¹⁹ C = 3.204 × 10⁻¹⁹ C. – If the object has a charge of 3e, the charge is three times the elementary charge, or 3 × 1.602 × 10⁻¹⁹ C = 4.806 × 10⁻¹⁹ C.