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As the electric field is irrotational, it is possible to express the electric field as the gradient of a scalar function, , called the electrostatic potential (also known as the voltage). An electric field, E {\displaystyle E} , points from regions of high electric potential to regions of low electric potential, expressed mathematically as
The force on the compass needle did not direct it to or away from the current-carrying wire, but acted at right angles to it. [23]: 370 Ørsted's words were that "the electric conflict acts in a revolving manner." The force also depended on the direction of the current, for if the flow was reversed, then the force did too. [52]
Similarly, the interaction in the electric field between atoms is the force responsible for chemical bonding that result in molecules. The electric field is defined as a vector field that associates to each point in space the force per unit of charge exerted on an infinitesimal test charge at rest at that point.
The electromagnetic force is responsible for many of the chemical and physical phenomena observed in daily life. The electrostatic attraction between atomic nuclei and their electrons holds atoms together. Electric forces also allow different atoms to combine into molecules, including the macromolecules such as proteins that form the basis of life.
The gravitational and electromagnetic interactions produce long-range forces whose effects can be seen directly in everyday life. The strong and weak interactions produce forces at subatomic scales and govern nuclear interactions inside atoms. Some scientists hypothesize that a fifth force might exist, but these hypotheses remain speculative.
This electric force is conventionally called the electrostatic force or Coulomb force. [2] Although the law was known earlier, it was first published in 1785 by French physicist Charles-Augustin de Coulomb .
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 ...
A normal uncharged piece of matter has equal numbers of positive and negative electric charges in each part of it, located close together, so no part of it has a net electric charge. [ 4 ] : p.711–712 The positive charges are the atoms ' nuclei which are bound into the structure of matter and are not free to move.