Electric charge is a fundamental property of matter that causes it to experience a force in an electromagnetic field. It comes in two types: positive (like protons) and negative (like electrons), and like charges repel while opposites attract. The SI unit is the coulomb (C), and it's quantized—charges occur in discrete multiples of the elementary charge e ≈ 1.602 × 10⁻¹⁹ C.

Mechanically, charge isn't fully explained as a simple mechanical phenomenon like gears or springs; it's more quantum. In classical terms (Coulomb's law), the force between charges is F = k * (q₁q₂ / r²), similar to gravity but electromagnetic. Franklin saw it as a relation between bodies, not an independent fluid. Faraday theorized it as polarization in a field, where particles seek a nonpolarized state. Maxwell's field theory treats charge as energy transformation in the electromagnetic field, not a substance.

Quantum mechanics views charge as tied to particle properties in quantum fields, with no purely mechanical model. Theoretical debates continue in quantum electrodynamics (QED) and unified theories, questioning if charge emerges from deeper structures like strings or aether-like mediums (e.g., some fringe theories like Ionel Dinu's aether models explore mechanical analogs via electrogravity). Mainstream physics debates unification with gravity, but no consensus on a "mechanical" origin beyond field interactions.

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