The normal reaction force balances the weight of an object due to electromagnetic repulsion between electrons on the surfaces of the contacting bodies. In the absence of this force, gravity would cause the object to fall through the supporting surface. Charge is a fundamental property of matter, with electrons carrying a negative charge and protons a positive charge, a convention established historically. The measurement of the electron's charge as -1.6 x 10^(-19) stems from early studies of electricity, which initially considered current as the flow of positive charges. Understanding these forces and interactions is crucial for analyzing physical systems, such as in free-body diagrams.