Electric field facts for kids

An electric field is a vector field that shows the direction that a positively charged particle will move when placed in the field. More precisely, if a particle has an electric charge and is in an electric field , the electric force the charge will feel is .Electric fields are produced around objects that have electrical charge, or by a magnetic field that changes with time. Electric field lines are used to represent the influence of electric field. The idea of an electric field was first made by Michael Faraday.

Electric fields are caused by electric charges, described by Gauss's law, or varying magnetic fields, described by Faraday's law of induction. The equations of both fields are coupled and together form Maxwell's equations that describe both fields as a function of charges and currents.

Images for kids

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  Evidence of an electric field: styrofoam peanuts clinging to a cat's fur due to static electricity. The triboelectric effect causes an electrostatic charge to build up on the fur due to the cat's motions. The electric field of the charge causes polarization of the molecules of the styrofoam due to electrostatic induction, resulting in a slight attraction of the light plastic pieces to the charged fur. This effect is also the cause of static cling in clothes.

See also

In Spanish: Campo eléctrico para niños