What is an Electric Field?
Electric Field is a fundamental concept in physics, they are a physical field that surrounds an electrically charged particle. Charged particles exert attractive force when they have opposite charges and repulsive force when they have the same charges in this field. The electric field of a single charge describes its power to exert such forces on another charged object.
The electric field is a vector quantity which means it has both magnitude and direction.
Electric Field Formula
Mathematically electric field(E) is described at a given point is defined as the force (F) experienced by a test charge (q) placed at that point, divided by the magnitude of the test charge:
E = F/q
Direction Of Electric Field
The direction of electric field is taken as the direction of the force which is exerted on the positive charge. The electric field is radially outwards from the positive charge and radially inwards to the negative point charge, as shown in the picture given below:
Electric Field
Electric field is a fundamental concept in physics, defining the influence that electric charges exert on their surroundings. This field has both direction and magnitude. It guides the movement of charged entities, impacting everything from the spark of static electricity to the functionality of electronic devices Understanding electric fields will help you to understand how charge particles interact with each other and the surroundings and guide various natural and technological phenomena. In this article, we will learn in detail about electric field, its formula, calculation of electric field for ring, straight wire and continuous charge distribution.
Table of Content
- What is an Electric Field?
- Electric Field Formula
- Electric Field Lines
- Electric Field Calculation
- How to Find the Electric Field Using Gauss Law?
- Electric Field For Continuous Charge Distribution
- Applications of Gauss Law to Find Electric Field
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