How does one Coulomb of charge compare to the charge on an electron? How do you think such a large difference arose historically?
i got that the have the same mass and charge. i didn't understand the second part
Didn't I answer this? How were they defined in history?
To understand the comparison between one Coulomb of charge and the charge on an electron, let's take a closer look at their relationship:
1. Charge on an Electron: The charge carried by a single electron is approximately -1.6 x 10^-19 Coulombs. This value is negative because electrons have a negative charge.
2. One Coulomb of Charge: One Coulomb (C) is a unit of electric charge. It represents a significant amount of charge and is defined as the charge that flows in one second through a conductor when the current is maintained at one ampere (A).
Now, let's address the historical aspect of the large difference between one Coulomb of charge and the charge on an electron:
In the late 19th century, experiments conducted by scientists like J.J. Thomson and Robert Millikan led to the discovery of the electron and the development of the concept of electric charge. Through their experiments, they were able to measure the charge on an electron and determine its approximate value.
At that time, scientists were still in the process of understanding the fundamental nature of electricity. They had not yet fully grasped the idea of quantized charge, where electric charge comes in discrete multiples of a fundamental unit.
During this period, the concept of one Coulomb of charge was already well-established, as it represented a practical unit of charge used in electric and electrochemical experiments. Scientists understood that electrical phenomena involved large amounts of charge, and the Coulomb was a convenient way to quantify it.
It wasn't until later, with the development of quantum mechanics and a deeper understanding of the atomic structure, that scientists could explain the large difference between one Coulomb of charge and the charge on an electron. They discovered that the charge on an electron is the smallest possible unit of charge found in nature and that all other charges are multiples of this fundamental unit.
Therefore, historically, the large difference between one Coulomb of charge and the charge on an electron arose because the understanding of electric charge and the concept of quantized charge developed gradually over time, with the charge on an electron representing the fundamental unit.