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The electric field was formally defined as the force exerted per unit charge, but the concept of potential allows for a more useful and equivalent definition: the electric field is the local gradient of the electric potential. Usually expressed in volts per metre, the vector direction of the field is the line of greatest slope of potential, and ...
The charges must have a spherically symmetric distribution (e.g. be point charges, or a charged metal sphere). The charges must not overlap (e.g. they must be distinct point charges). The charges must be stationary with respect to a nonaccelerating frame of reference. The last of these is known as the electrostatic approximation. When movement ...
Gilbert used the versorium to test whether different materials were "elektrics" (insulators, in modern terms) or non-"elektrics" ().While he didn't devise a theory to explain his findings, it was a good example of how science was starting to change by incorporating empirical studies at the dawn of the Age of Reason. [4]
Electric charge is a conserved property: the net charge of an isolated system, the quantity of positive charge minus the amount of negative charge, cannot change. Electric charge is carried by subatomic particles. In ordinary matter, negative charge is carried by electrons, and positive charge is carried by the protons in the nuclei of atoms ...
Electrical energy is energy related to forces on electrically charged particles and the movement of those particles (often electrons in wires, but not always). This energy is supplied by the combination of current and electric potential (often referred to as voltage because electric potential is measured in volts) that is delivered by a circuit (e.g., provided by an electric power utility).
Mathematically, we can state the law of charge conservation as a continuity equation: = ˙ ˙ (). where / is the electric charge accumulation rate in a specific volume at time t, ˙ is the amount of charge flowing into the volume and ˙ is the amount of charge flowing out of the volume; both amounts are regarded as generic functions of time.
Negative charges (blue) are attracted and move to the surface of the object facing the external charge. Positive charges (red) are repelled and move to the surface facing away. These induced surface charges are exactly the right size and shape so their opposing electric field cancels the electric field of the external charge throughout the ...
The thing that "flows" in the current is the "charge", the charge is the generator of the (local) symmetry group. This charge is sometimes called the Noether charge. Thus, for example, the electric charge is the generator of the U(1) symmetry of electromagnetism. The conserved current is the electric current.