All Textbook Topics - Electric Charge - Electric Charge Introduction - A charged object (either positive or negative) has an electric field around it
A charged object (either positive or negative) has an electric field around it
Charges, and objects which are charged, have electric fields around them.
An electric field is a sort of aura which exists around charges and causes forces to act on other charges without physically touching them.
The diagram below shows positive and negative charges without the field lines shown
The diagram below now has the field lines shown. Fields have an infinite range, so even though the lines are short in the diagram below, in the real world they go on forever.
The strength of the electric field reduces as you get further away from the charges.
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