Electric Field

Discover what an Electric Field is and how it influences charged particles.

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Electrostatic force is the force between stationary electric charges and is a manifestation of electromagnetism, one of the four fundamental interactions in nature

When a neutral atom or molecule gains or loses electrons, it becomes electrically charged. Gaining electrons produces a negative charge, while losing electrons produces a positive charge. Like charges repel each other (positive–positive or negative–negative), while opposite charges attract (positive–negative). The strength of this force depends on distance: the closer two charges are, the stronger the electrostatic force between them.

Now imagine particle A is placed in a space and a bunch of other charges are randomly distributed in the mix. At different locations in this space, particle A will feel different intensities of pull and push forces on it because it will be at varied distances from various like and unlike charges.

The electric field is a property of the space created by electric charges, and at a specific point, it equals the force acting on a charge divided by the size of that charge.