Tiny charges, big effects

Everything around you is made of atoms. Inside each atom are protons with a positive (+) charge and electrons with a negative (−) charge.

• Opposite charges attract. Like charges repel.
• Charge is measured in coulombs (C). One electron carries a tiny amount: about 1.6 × 10⁻¹⁹ C. So one coulomb is roughly 6 billion billion electrons.

Electricity is what happens when charge moves, or pushes on other charges.