Definition:Electric Field
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Definition
An electric field is a vector field that associates to each point in space the (electrostatic or Coulomb) force per unit of charge exerted on an infinitesimal positive test charge at rest at that point.
Electric Field Strength
Electric field strength is the measure of the intensity of an electric field.
It is defined as:
- $\mathbf E = \dfrac {\mathbf F} q$
where:
- $\mathbf E$ denotes the electric field strength at a given point
- $\mathbf F$ denotes the force exerted on a test charge $q$ by $\mathbf E$ at that point.
Electric field strength is a vector quantity.
Also known as
An electric field is also known as an electrostatic field.
However, that term contains within it the stationary nature of the electric charges giving rise to such a field, whereas in general the charges may well be in motion.
Also see
- Definition:Electric Field Strength
- Definition:Electric Potential
- Definition:Electric Displacement Field
- Results about electric fields can be found here.
Sources
- 1961: D.R. Bland: Solutions of Laplace's Equation ... (previous) ... (next): Chapter $1$: Occurrence and Derivation of Laplace's Equation: $1$. Situations in which Laplace's equation arises.
- 1970: George Arfken: Mathematical Methods for Physicists (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): Introduction: Electromagnetic Theory
- 1989: Ephraim J. Borowski and Jonathan M. Borwein: Dictionary of Mathematics ... (previous) ... (next): electric field
- 1990: I.S. Grant and W.R. Phillips: Electromagnetism (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): Chapter $1$: Force and energy in electrostatics: $1.2$ The Electric Field
- 1998: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): field: 2. (field of force, force field)
- 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): field: 2. (field of force, force field)
- 2014: Christopher Clapham and James Nicholson: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Mathematics (5th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): electric field