Electric fields

Topic

The electric field is a fundamental concept in electromagnetism, representing the force field that surrounds electric charges. It describes how a charge exerts force on other charges in the space around it, even in the absence of physical contact. The strength and direction of the electric field at any point in space are determined by the distribution and magnitude of nearby charges.

An electric field originates from electric charges or from time-varying magnetic fields and extends outwards in all directions. Its direction is defined as the direction a positive test charge would move if placed in the field. The strength of the field decreases with distance from the charge according to an inverse square law in the case of a point charge.

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