Video narration
Electrical charge is a basic property of matter—like mass—but it tells you how things can push or pull on each other electrically. At a tiny scale, many particles carry charge. Protons are positive, electrons are negative, and most objects are neutral because positives and negatives balance out. Here’s the key rule: like charges repel, and opposite charges attract. Two negatives push apart, two positives push apart, but a positive and a negative pull together. Charge matters because it’s behind electricity and static. When extra electrons build up on an object, it becomes negatively charged; if it loses electrons, it becomes positively charged. That’s why a balloon rubbed on hair can stick to a wall, or why you can get a tiny spark after walking on carpet. In short: charge is the “plus or minus” that makes electric forces—and everyday electric effects—happen.