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As we continue to learn about charge and voltage, I am able understand the principles and concepts in this unit. A neat experiment that caught my attention was the Millikan’s Apparatus Experiment. Robert Millikan and Harvey Fletcher found the single charge of an electron. This charge is 1.5924(17)×10⁻¹⁹ C. They proved this theory by being able to suspend oil droplets in mid air due to the pull of electrons and a positive plate. They sprayed oil droplets between two plates of very high voltage. As they looked through their microscope, they saw droplets fall to the bottom plate, and many droplets were pulled to the top plate, but few were completely suspended in mid air.

Voltage

This past week we learned about voltage and charge. Voltage is the amount of joules per coulombs. Voltage and charge are related because the more “charged” something is, the voltage becomes stronger. For example, when a balloon is rubbed on someone’s head it becomes negatively charged. The amount of electrical potential energy is high, however the charge is relatively low. That's why you do not get shocked when you touch someone else with a charged balloon. Compared to the balloon, an outlet has a high amount of electrical potential energy, but also has a high amount of charge. This means that you will get shocked if you touch the inside of the outlet.

Blogpost: Charge

The world is made up of different and complex matter. This “matter” is made up of trillions of atoms, and each atom has protons, neutrons, and electrons orbiting around the atom. By knowing how many electrons an atom has, scientist can find out what the specific charge is of the atom. This charge is known as an electrical charge or force. These electrical forces vary in charges; positive, negative, and neutral. These charges have similar principles to the charges of a magnet. Like charges repel each other, unlike charges attract each other, and neutral charges attract both positive and negative charges.

Charge

This past week we learned about charge. There are different forms of charge such as electrical and static. A common charge that many people are familiar with is static charge, or static electricity. Most people are familiar with this charge when they play with balloons. When a balloon is rubbed up against hair or carpet, the balloon picks up electrons from the hair or carpet. This makes the balloon negatively charged. That is why when you put a charged balloon beside hair; your hair will be attracted to the balloon. Another form of this charge is when you rub your feet against the ground. Your body becomes negatively charged, and when you touch someone else who is neutrally charged, you both feel a zap.