Section 1
Overview
By Boundless
![Thumbnail](../../../../../../figures.boundless-cdn.com/23283/square/atom-diagram.jpg)
Atoms contain negatively charged electrons and positively charged protons; the number of each determines the atom's net charge.
![Thumbnail](../../../../../../figures.boundless-cdn.com/16341/raw/coulombslaw.jpg)
Electric charge is a fundamental physical property of matter that has many parallels to mass.
![Thumbnail](../../../../../../figures.boundless-cdn.com/30844/square/e-playground-2848616367-29.jpeg)
Charge separation, often referred to as static electricity, is the building of space between particles of opposite charges.
![Thumbnail](../../../../../../figures.boundless-cdn.com/17396/square/screenshot-202.jpeg)
Dielectric polarization is the phenomenon that arises when positive and negative charges in a material are separated.
![Thumbnail](../../../../../../figures.boundless-cdn.com/16461/square/e-playground-2848616367-29.jpeg)
Electric charge is a physical property that is perpetually conserved in amount; it can build up in matter, which creates static electricity.
![Thumbnail](../../../../../../figures.boundless-cdn.com/16393/square/stripped-wire.jpeg)
Based on the ability to conduct current, materials are divided into conductors and insulators.
![Thumbnail](../../../../../../figures.boundless-cdn.com/24024/square/80-99s-oil-drop-experiment.jpg)
In 1911, using charged droplets of oil, Robert Millikan was able to determine the charge of an electron.