Electric field and Magnetic field

An introduction to the difference between an electric field and magnetic field may be helpful for those trying to understand electricity more fully. Knowing which is which will also help depending on what your project entails – as well as whether you want to see lightning or get fried by it! 

Electric field

Electric fields exert forces on charged particles. We can measure the strength and direction of the electric fields with an electroscope

Significance of Electric Fields

Setting up an electric field is one of the foundational principles for electricity. The electric field is important for many reasons; it is used to test materials and to measure the strength of a charge (it’s also the driving force behind static electricity).

Electric Fields and Batteries

To see how a battery works, think of it as having two different ends, an anode and a cathode. When you place a battery in series with another battery, it has essentially doubled the number of electrons available to move around (the positive charges don’t matter here). What this means is that you now have double the amount of electric field between both ends.

Applications of Electric Fields

There are a number of uses for an electric field. Just a few include building electromagnets, generating radio waves (which requires the oscillation of electrons), and creating electric current. You can also see how electric fields work in your home, just by turning on the lights!

Magnetic Field

Magnetic forces pull on magnetic materials (iron, nickel and cobalt). They are created by moving charges – which is why you can feel a magnet’s pull even when there are no electric charges around. This means you can make a bar magnet using an electrical charge.

Significance of Magnetic Fields

We use strong magnets to help us do things like test materials for their magnetic properties or get items to attach to them (i.e. paper clips or photos to whiteboards).

Applications of Magnetic Fields

Magnetic fields are used in a number of applications. For instance, they are used to measure the strength and direction of an electric charge. They are also used to help monitor the flow of electricity through wires – as well as helping create electrical currents in wires.

Magnetic Field and Earth: Magnetic fields (also called magnetic flux) are responsible for creating magnetism in our planet and keeping it there. It is produced by electric currents generated within the core of our planet (a result of heat). This field affects how we experience magnetism on earth (like permanently magnetized metal objects).

Difference between Electric Fields and Magnetic Fields

Electric and magnetic fields are both ways of describing what is happening due to a charge. Electric fields are created by charged particles while magnetic fields are created by moving charges. Some differences between Electric Fields and Magnetic Fields are:

1) Magnetic fields are created by moving charges while electric fields are created by charged particles.

2) Since magnetic forces pull on material, magnetic fields create an electrostatic field – which is why we can feel the pull of magnets even if they aren’t powering up. These two differences between magnetic and electric fields help us to understand how electricity works.

3) Magnetic and electric fields can also “cancel” each other out – that is, if there is no charge (like in vacuum), then there will be no magnetic field for the charge to act upon.

4) The strength of electric fields generally has a limit (due to Coulomb’s law). On the other hand, magnetic fields can continue to increase until they don’t have enough energy to sustain them.

5) Electric and magnetic fields are both separate names for what is happening that is due to an interaction between charged particles.

Because electric and magnetic forces are different, they can usually be used together. For instance, a compass uses the magnetism in Earth’s magnetic field (along with the principles of electricity behind a compass) to detect the direction an object is facing. This information can help you determine which way you should go based on your goal. 

Conclusion

Electric and magnetic fields are a great way of understanding how both electric currents and magnets work. You can see how they work in everyday life by turning on a light, working with an electroscope, or building electromagnets. Understanding the differences between electric field vs magnet field can also help you understand how electricity works.