Answer to Question #134106 in Electricity and Magnetism for viccy

Question

what is electric charge.

Answer 1

Electric charge is a property of some particles (and as a consequence also a property of macro objects made of these particles), connected with one of the four fundamental forces - the electromagnetic one. We learned about electric charge from observations how some objects are attracted to each other while other experience repulsion. We know that electric charge can be of 2 kinds (negative and positive), it is discrete, the smallest amount of charge is a charge of 1 electron $e =1.6 \cdot 10^{-19} C$ (however, after experimental prove of quarks existing, elementary charge became $e/3$).

We should percieve charge in the same sense as we perceive, for example, mass. We don't really care what is mass indeed, what is its origin (at least in classical mechanics), how did it happen that bodies obtained their mass, we just know that mass is a propety of body connected with inertia and gravitational interaction. The same is for charge - it is just a property of body connected with EM interactions with other charges and EM fields.