Skip to content
IGCSE Physics, Cambridge 0625, Malaysia

Coulomb

Symbol: C

The SI unit of electric charge. One coulomb is the charge carried by a current of one ampere flowing for one second.

The coulomb (C) is defined by the equation Q=ItQ = It. If a current of 1 A flows for 1 s, the charge that passes is 1 C.

One coulomb is a large amount of charge. A typical lightning bolt transfers about 5 C. The charge on a single electron is approximately 1.6×10191.6 \times 10^{-19} C.

Need help understanding this?

A 0625 specialist can explain this concept using the student's own questions and show how it appears in exam papers.