point charge

American  

noun

1. an electric charge considered to exist at a single point, and thus having neither area nor volume.

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Etymology

Origin of point charge

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

Figure 19.12 An isolated point charge Q with its electric field lines in blue and equipotential lines in green.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

Consider Figure 19.12, which shows an isolated positive point charge and its electric field lines.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

How far from a 1.00 µC point charge will the potential be 100 V?

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

What are the sign and magnitude of a point charge that produces a potential of –2.00 V at a distance of 1.00 mm?

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

Just as zero punches a hole in the smooth sheet of general relativity, zero smooths and spreads out the sharp point charge of the electron, covering it in a fog.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife