In most scenarios I have seen, an electric field occurs when a body has an unbalanced net charge. Are electric fields present in electrically neutral bodies?
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$\begingroup$ Electrical fields are present even in a human body. $\endgroup$– SofiaCommented Jan 31, 2015 at 22:04
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2 Answers
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Matter consists of electrons, protons and neutrons. In most cases the total charge of matter is zero and one would consider the body as neutral. However the charges are distributed in the body and each of them creates a non zero electric field (which keeps the matter stable). All individual fields add to a total field which is zero for a electric neutral body if you measure it far away from the body. If one probes the electric field inside the body or close to its surface one finds non zero electric fields even for neutral bodies.
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The functioning of our heart is regulated by an electrical pulse called sinus. If the sinus stops working an intervention is (desirably) done by introducing a battery - so-called pacemaker, that produces this electrical pulse. So, even our body, in general neutral, produces electric fields.
