A region around a charged object where the object's electric force is exerted on other charged objects is called what?

A region around a charged object where the object's electric force is exerted on other charged objects is called what?

• A. Magnetic field
• B. Polarization
• C. Electric field
• D. Ohm

Answer: (C)

Electric field describes a region in space around a charged object where another charge would feel a force. If you place a small test charge q in that region, the force it experiences is F = qE, so the field strength is E = F/q. The field has direction—the way a positive test charge would be pushed—and units of newtons per coulomb (N/C). For a positive source charge, the field points away from the charge; for a negative source charge, it points toward it. This concept is distinct from a magnetic field, which arises from moving charges and influences moving charges differently; polarization refers to how materials’ molecules align in an electric field, not the space around the charge itself; and Ohm is a unit of resistance, not a field.

Electric field describes a region in space around a charged object where another charge would feel a force. If you place a small test charge q in that region, the force it experiences is F = qE, so the field strength is E = F/q. The field has direction—the way a positive test charge would be pushed—and units of newtons per coulomb (N/C). For a positive source charge, the field points away from the charge; for a negative source charge, it points toward it. This concept is distinct from a magnetic field, which arises from moving charges and influences moving charges differently; polarization refers to how materials’ molecules align in an electric field, not the space around the charge itself; and Ohm is a unit of resistance, not a field.