Electric field

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An electric field is the mathematical/physical entity that carries the electrostatic force. It is a true vector field in 3-dimensional space. The formulation of the electrostatic force in terms of a field was achieved by Michael Faraday around 1831.

In equations, the electric field is typically represented by the letter E (in vector notation: ), and is often called the "E field".

The electrostatic force is described by Coulomb's Law, formulated by Charles-Augustin de Coulomb around 1784. This law says that the force between two charged objects is directed along the line between them, proportional to the product of their charges, inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them, and attracting if the charges have different signs or repelling if the same sign.

Electric fields are closely associated with magnetic fields, and Maxwell's Equations describe this connection. In fact, modern treatments of the subject treat the two fields as parts of one unifying entity, the Faraday Tensor.

Electric and magnetic fields together can create electromagnetic radiation, which is a wave traveling at the speed of light. In fact, light is a form of electromagnetic radiation.

Under the wave-particle duality of quantum mechanics, electromagnetic radiation can be described in terms of photons, which are tiny "packets" of radiation. The classical view in terms of waves is an appropriate approximation for low energy radiation such as radio waves, while the quantum-mechanical view is appropriate for gamma radiation.