Study Guides/Physics/Dimensional Formula of Electric Charge
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What is the Dimensional Formula of Charge?

In Class 11 Physics (Units and Measurements), you learn that all physical quantities can be expressed in terms of basic fundamental dimensions like Mass [M], Length [L], Time [T], and Electric Current [A].

Question (Click to Flip)

Why is current fundamental and not charge?

Answer

It is purely a historical and practical convention. Electric current (Ampere) was much easier to measure accurately in early laboratories using magnetic forces than static electric charge was.

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Key Facts

The SI unit of electric charge is the Coulomb (C).

From the formula, we can see that 1 Coulomb is exactly equal to 1 Ampere-second.

The charge of a single electron is approximately $-1.6 \times 10^{-19}$ Coulombs.

1. Understanding Electric Charge

Electric charge (Q) is not considered a fundamental physical quantity in the SI system. Instead, Electric Current (I) is considered the fundamental quantity.

The basic formula relating charge and current is: Electric Current (I) = $\frac{\text{Charge (Q)}}{\text{Time (t)}}$

Therefore, rearranging the formula gives: Charge (Q) = Current (I) $\times$ Time (t)

2. Deriving the Dimensional Formula

To find the dimension of charge, we plug in the fundamental dimensions of Current and Time:

  • The dimension of Electric Current (I) is [A] (Ampere).
  • The dimension of Time (t) is [T].

So, Dimension of Q = $[A] \times [T]$ = $[AT]$.

3. The Final Formula

Written in the standard complete format showing Mass and Length as zero, the dimensional formula of electric charge is:

$[M^0 L^0 T^1 A^1]$

Questions and Answers

Why is current fundamental and not charge?+

It is purely a historical and practical convention. Electric current (Ampere) was much easier to measure accurately in early laboratories using magnetic forces than static electric charge was.

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