Net Charge of -59uC: #Electrons & Mass Increase

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SUMMARY

A person with a net charge of -59 microcoulombs (uC) accumulates approximately 3.68 x 1017 excess electrons, calculated using the charge of a single electron at -1.602 x 10-19 coulombs. The corresponding mass increase from these excess electrons is approximately 3.35 x 10-14 kilograms, based on the mass of an electron being 9.109 x 10-31 kilograms. This analysis assumes that the net charge is solely due to excess electrons, without accounting for other factors such as protons or ions.

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A person accumulates a net charge of -59uC, how many excess electrons does this person get and by how much does her mass increase?
 
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Make the (simple-minded) assumption that the net charge is purely due to excess electrons. What's the charge of each electron? What's the mass of each electron?
 


The net charge of -59uC indicates that the person has an excess of 59 microcoulombs of negative charge. Since one electron has a charge of -1.602 x 10^-19 coulombs, this person would have approximately 3.68 x 10^17 excess electrons (59 x 10^-6 / -1.602 x 10^-19).

As for the mass increase, the mass of each electron is 9.109 x 10^-31 kilograms. Therefore, the person's mass would increase by approximately 3.35 x 10^-14 kilograms (3.68 x 10^17 x 9.109 x 10^-31).

It is important to note that this calculation assumes that the person's excess charge is solely due to the accumulation of electrons. In reality, there may be other factors at play such as the presence of protons or ions. Additionally, the mass increase may not be significant enough to be measured in everyday situations.
 

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