calculate the number of electrons constituting one coulomb of charge
Calculate the number of electrons constituting one coulomb of charge
Answer:
To calculate the number of electrons constituting one coulomb of charge, we need to understand a few fundamental concepts in physics, specifically the charge of an electron and the relationship between charge and quantity of electrons.
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Charge of an Electron:
- The elementary charge, which is the charge of a single electron, is approximately e = 1.602 \times 10^{-19} coulombs.
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One Coulomb of Charge:
- One coulomb (C) of charge is a large quantity of charge equivalent to the charge transported by a constant current of one ampere in one second.
To find the number of electrons, we use the following relationship:
\text{Number of electrons} = \frac{\text{Total charge}}{\text{Charge of one electron}}
Given:
- Total charge ( Q = 1 ) coulomb
- Charge of one electron ( e = 1.602 \times 10^{-19} ) coulombs
Plugging in these values into the equation:
\text{Number of electrons} = \frac{1 \text{ C}}{1.602 \times 10^{-19} \text{ C/electron}}
- Calculation:
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Perform the division to find the number of electrons.
\text{Number of electrons} = \frac{1}{1.602 \times 10^{-19}} = 6.242 \times 10^{18} \text{ electrons}
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Final Answer:
Therefore, one coulomb of charge is constituted by approximately 6.242 \times 10^{18} electrons.