Loading…
Loading…
GCSE Physics · key term
A region around an electric charge in which another charge experiences a force.
Used by AQA, Edexcel and OCR
Specification 4.2.5.2 · Paper 1
A region around a charged object in which another charged object experiences a force.
Revise: Electric fieldsPhysicists describe this using an electric field: the region around a charged object where another charged object experiences a force.
Specification 11.8P, 11.10P · Paper 2
A region in which an electric charge experiences a force.
For sparking, state that a sufficiently strong electric field causes charge to cross the air gap; the objects do not need to touch first.
Use the exact idea that an electric field is a region in which an electric charge experiences a force.
Build an explanation as a chain: charge creates an electric field → another charge in the field experiences a force → state whether the force causes attraction or repulsion → link this force to the observed effect.
Create a free account to read GCSE Physics revision notes for your exam board and track your progress.
A charged object can attract or repel another charged object even when there is a gap between them. This is possible because the first object produces an electric field in the space around it.
Specification P3.1d · Paper 1 (Foundation), Paper 3 (Higher)
The region around a charged object where another charged object experiences an electrostatic force.
Revise: Electric fieldsThe balloon's charge produces an electric field in the space around it. Another object placed in that field can experience an electrostatic force. This is how a field helps explain the forces seen in static electricity: the objects do not have to be in contact.
Paper 1, Paper 2
Revise: Electric chargeEvery electric charge produces an electric field in the space around it. If another charged object enters that field, it experiences an electrostatic force. The second charge also produces its own field, so the two charged objects interact and both experience forces.