Charge Conservation & Isolated Systems

[manimaran1605]

A isolated system in which number of charges present is always constant. Suppose a high energy gamma radiation enters into the isolated system and produces positron and electron (pair production), now the total number of charges present in the system increases right? Then how the charge conservation is true?

 

[jbriggs444]

The total charge is conserved, not the total number of charged particles. An electron carries a -1 charge. A positron carries a +1 charge. The total is still zero.

 

[manimaran1605]

so it is the algebraic sum of total charges, not the total charges am i right?

 

[Nugatory]

so it is the algebraic sum of total charges, not the total charges am i right?

yes.

 

[sardar]

Charge conservation refers to the principle that the total electric charge in a closed system remains constant over time. In the scenario described, the isolated system is initially at equilibrium with a certain number of charges present. When the high energy gamma radiation enters the system and produces a positron and an electron, the total number of charges does increase. However, this does not violate the principle of charge conservation.

This is because the positron and electron are created as a pair, with the same magnitude of charge but opposite signs. Therefore, the total charge in the system remains unchanged. The positron and electron can also combine and annihilate each other, resulting in the original number of charges being restored. This demonstrates that while the number of charges can change in an isolated system due to particle interactions, the total charge remains constant.

Additionally, charge conservation is a fundamental principle in physics and has been extensively tested and confirmed through experiments. It is a key component of many theories and laws, such as Coulomb's law and Maxwell's equations. So, even in situations where the number of charges may appear to change, the principle of charge conservation still holds true.