Charge (physics)

In physics, a charge is any of many different quantities, such as the electric charge in electromagnetism or the color charge in quantum chromodynamics. Charges correspond to the time-invariantgenerators of a symmetry group, and specifically, to the generators that commute with the Hamiltonian. Charges are often denoted by ⁠${\displaystyle Q}$⁠, and so the invariance of the charge corresponds to the vanishing commutator⁠${\displaystyle [Q,H]=0}$⁠, where ${\displaystyle H}$ is the Hamiltonian. Thus, charges are associated with conserved quantum numbers; these are the eigenvalues of the generator ${\displaystyle Q}$. A "charge" can also refer to a point-shaped object with an electric charge and a position, such as in the method of image charges.