what is difference between electric field and electrical charge? I read about electrical charges and the electric field so I do not know what the difference is between them because they both are doing the same thing they act with repulsive or attractive force on other charges.
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2$\begingroup$ What is the difference between mass and gravitational field? $\endgroup$– NemoCommented Jan 12, 2018 at 11:47
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3 Answers
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Think of a field as "the effect something has which spreads out". Like rings in water spreading from the splashing stone or like sound spreading from the clapping hands.
A magnetic field is the effect of a magnet. The field spreads out from/to the poles and grabs everything on its way that will interact magnetically.
Gravity is the effect of things with mass. The gravitational field spreads out from the mass and grabs every other mass on its way.
And an electric field is an effect of a charge. The field spreads out from/to charges and grabs every other charge on its way.
Everytime I said "grab", what I mean is that this field converts into a force of some sort. A force that causes motion in those other interacting objects.
A field is a way to explain how forces can be applied without physical touch. A charge is pulling in something else with an electric force without touching it - the "stuff" that connects the charge with its force through empty space is the electric field.
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Electric charge is something that a particle/ object has due to excess/deficent charge present on it.
Electric field is the magnitude of Electrostatic force experienced by an electricaly charged particle in space.
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What is difference between electric field and electrical charge?
The field is what you detect. After detection you are able to name the source.
Only after doing experiments in the past, now we are able to call electrons and protons electric charges. Not to forget that doing other experiments, now we are able to call these subatomic particles magnetic dipoles too. Calling something a charge or magnet this is the easiest way to say that it has a field and we are interested in the interactions of charges.
answered Jan 13, 2018 at 7:26