Rub a balloon on your hair, then hold it a short distance above your head. Strands of the hair you rubbed it on rise toward it. Nothing touches them.
In earlier grades you saw that a rubbed object picks up charge, and that charged objects can pull and push without touching. This lesson names what fills the space around any charged object.
Now consider the balloon after the rubbing. It carries charge. The space around the charged balloon is not empty.
The charged balloon fills the space around it with an electric field.
The electric field is there whether or not anything else is near. A charged glass rod has an electric field around it. And a charged strip of tape has an electric field around it.
A plastic ruler is rubbed on a sleeve and picks up charge. What now surrounds the ruler?
Write down the fact:
Any object with charge has an electric field around it.
The rubbed ruler carries charge.
An electric field surrounds the ruler.
Where does a charged object's electric field exist?
A charged foam ball hangs from a thread, touching nothing. Does an electric field surround it?
Write down the fact:
Any object with charge has an electric field around it.
The ball carries charge, and the field is there whether or not anything is near.
Yes: an electric field surrounds the ball.
That is what reached those strands of hair: the balloon's electric field fills the space between the balloon and your hair.
A fleece blanket comes out of a dryer carrying charge. Which statement is true?
A charged rod is held near a charged thread hanging from a stand. The thread swings before anything touches it. Why can the rod act on the thread across the gap?
A speck of dust carries a tiny charge. Which statement is true?