Electric Fields

Front

Field Noun

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[feeld]

Back

Field

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A region of space where a physical quantity, such as force or temperature, is assigned to every point.

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Example: An electric field is a region around a charged particle. The field lines, shown by arrows, point away from a positive charge and toward a negative charge.

Front

Scalar Field Noun

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[skay-ler feeld]

Back

Scalar Field

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A field in which the physical quantity at each point is represented by a single number, known as a scalar.

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Example: This map shows a scalar field. At every point in the area, there is a single value, represented by a color. This is like a map of electric potential, where each location has a specific voltage.

Front

Vector Field Noun

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[vek-ter feeld]

Back

Vector Field

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A field where the physical quantity at each point is represented by a vector, having both magnitude and direction.

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Example: This diagram shows a vector field around two electric charges. The arrows represent the invisible electric force, showing its direction and strength at every point.

Front

Electric Field Noun

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[i-lek-trik feeld]

Back

Electric Field

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A vector field where the physical quantity is the electric force experienced per unit of positive charge at any point.

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Example: An electric field is a region around a charged particle. The field lines show the direction of the force, pointing away from positive charges and toward negative charges.

Front

Test Charge Noun

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[test charj]

Back

Test Charge

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A hypothetical, small positive charge used to measure an electric field's strength and direction without significantly disturbing it.

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Example: A large positive source charge (+Q) creates an electric field (arrows). A small positive test charge (+q) is placed in this field to measure its direction.

Front

Superposition Principle Noun

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[soo-per-puh-zish-uhn prin-suh-puhl]

Back

Superposition Principle

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The principle stating the net electric field at a point is the vector sum of the fields from each individual charge.

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Example: The total electric field at a point is the vector sum of the individual electric fields from each source charge, like adding arrows tip-to-tail.

Front

Field Lines Noun

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[feeld lynes]

Back

Field Lines

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Continuous lines representing an electric field, where the tangent gives direction and the line density indicates the field's strength.

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Example: This diagram shows how electric field lines originate from a positive charge and end on a negative charge, with arrows indicating the field's direction.

Front

Conductor Noun

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[kuhn-duhk-ter]

Back

Conductor

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A material, typically a metal, through which electric charges are able to move easily and freely throughout its structure.

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Example: In a conductor, free electrons move randomly. When an electric field is applied (like from a battery), these electrons flow in an organized direction.

Front

Lightning Rod Noun

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[lite-ning rod]

Back

Lightning Rod

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A pointed conductor that concentrates electric charge, creating a strong field to attract and safely discharge atmospheric electricity.

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Example: A lightning rod intercepts a lightning strike, providing a safe path for the immense electrical current to travel through a wire and into the ground.

Front

Uniform Field Noun

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[yoo-nuh-form feeld]

Back

Uniform Field

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A field where the magnitude and direction are constant throughout a region, represented by evenly spaced, parallel field lines.

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Example: Between two parallel, oppositely charged plates, the electric field is uniform, meaning its strength and direction (from positive to negative) are constant.