Question Details

What is the minimum charge on a particle?

Options

A

1 Coulomb

B

1.6 x 10-19 Coulomb

C

3.2 x 10-19 Coulomb

D

6.6 x 10-19 Coulomb

Correct Answer :

1.6 x 10-19 Coulomb

Solution :

The correct option is 1.6 x 10-19 Coulomb.

Electric charge is a quantized physical property. This means that the charge on any object or particle cannot take arbitrary values; instead, it must always be an integral multiple of a basic, fundamental unit of charge. This fundamental unit is the magnitude of the charge of a single electron or proton.

The smallest stable, independent charge known to exist in nature is the elementary charge, denoted by the symbol e. The charge of an electron is -e and the charge of a proton is +e.

The experimentally determined value of this fundamental constant e is approximately:
e 1.6 × 10 - 19  Coulomb
Therefore, the minimum possible charge that an isolated, independent particle can carry is this elementary unit of charge, which is 1.6 x 10-19 Coulomb.

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