Electric Field

This page discusses the general properties of electric fields

Electric Field

Electric Field is a field created by an electric charge. It is measured in units of Newtons per Coulomb (N/C) and has a direction, making it a vector quantity. The electric field created by a charge exists at all points in space and exerts a force on other charged objects. The field can be drawn as an arrow with tail at the observation location pointing in the direction of the field. The Electric field obeys superposition, so the net Electric field at a point in space can be determined by summing all the individual fields present at that location.

Mathematical Concept of a Field

In mathematics, a field is a value that exists at all points in space. It can be a scalar or a vector. Other examples of fields are graviational fields and magnetic fields.

Electric Field and Force

The force due to an external electric field on a charged particle is given by the equation [math]\displaystyle{ \vec{F} = q\vec{E} }[/math] where q is the charge of the observed particle and E is the electric field. The field created by a charged particle exerts no force on itself.

This page pioneered by --Spennell3 (talk) 13:36, 19 October 2015 (EDT)