Final answer:
Charge is a property of matter related to its electrical state, and quantization of charge means that charge only exists in discrete, indivisible units, with the electron's charge as the smallest unit (1.602 × 10⁻¹⁹ C). Quantum physics governs these quantized properties, differentiating the behavior of particles on a submicroscopic level from classical physics.
Step-by-step explanation:
Charge is a fundamental property of matter reflecting its electrical state. It represents the imbalance of protons and electrons within an object. An object with more electrons than protons has a negative charge, while one with fewer electrons than protons has a positive charge.
The notion that charge is quantized refers to the concept that charge cannot be divided indefinitely into smaller amounts. Rather, the smallest unit of charge measured in the SI system is e = 1.602 × 10⁻¹⁹ C, which is the charge of a single electron or proton. Hence, any free particle or object that is charged will have charge that is an integer multiple of this fundamental unit. When macroscopic objects are charged, it is through the addition or removal of electrons, which alter their net charge in quantized increments of this base unit.
In quantum mechanics, physical entities like energy, angular momentum, and charge are quantized, meaning they exist only in fixed, discrete amounts and not on a continuous scale. Quantum physics, which covers the quantization of these entities, highlights the discrete nature of these properties, as opposed to their continuous classical physics analogues.