What is Charge Density?
Charge density is defined as the amount of electric charge that can be accumulated over a unit length or unit area or unit volume of a conductor. In other words, it indicates how much charge is stored in a specific field. It calculates the distribution of the charge and can be positive or negative.
The charge may be scattered over a one-dimensional or two-dimensional or three-dimensional surface. The charge density is categorized into three types:
- Linear charge density
- Surface charge density, and
- Volume charge density.
Its value is directly proportional to the amount of charge but changes inversely with the surface dimensions.
Charge Density Formula
Charge density refers to the amount of electric charge per unit volume or unit area in a given region of space. It is a measure of how densely electric charge is distributed within a material or a region.
To understand charge density, we must first understand this concept of density. The density of an object is defined as its mass per unit volume. Similarly, depending on the type of continuous charge arrangement, we can think of charge density as charge per unit length, surface, or volume.
Table of Content
- What is Charge Density?
- Linear Charge Density
- Surface Charge Density
- Volume Charge Density
- Problems on Charge Density Formula