A.2.14—Electric force Fe
- Syllabus
- First assessment 2025
- Objective
- —
- Level
- HL
Identify Electric Force
Electric interaction
Electric force acts between charged bodies. Its direction depends on the signs of the charges: like charges repel and unlike charges attract.
Use the electric field
A positive test charge is pushed in the electric-field direction; a negative charge experiences force opposite to the field. Keep field direction and force direction separate when the charge sign matters.
Common trap
Do not reverse the force direction for a positive charge, and do not treat electric force as a contact force.