Electric Charges and Fields | Class 12 Physics Notes
By ConceptScroll Team · Published on 17 July 2026 · 2 min read
Electric Charges and Fields – this guide gives you a concise, exam-ready overview of Electric Charges and Fields from Class 12 Physics, written by ConceptScroll editors and reviewed against the latest NCERT textbook.
Electric Field
The electric field is a vector field that represents the force experienced by a unit positive charge placed at any point in space. It provides a way to describe how electric charges influence the space around them without direct contact. The electric field E at a point is defined as the force F experienced by a small positive test charge q placed at that point divided by the magnitude of the test charge: E = F / q. The direction of the electric field is the direction of the force on the positive test charge. The SI unit of electric field is newton per coulomb (N/C). For a point charge Q, the electric field at a distance r is given by E = (1 / (4πε₀)) × (Q / r²), directed radially outward if Q is positive and radially inward if Q is negative. The concept of electric field helps explain the action-at-a-distance nature of electrostatic forces by introducing a field that permeates space. Electric field is a vector quantity and obeys the principle of superposition, meaning the resultant field due to multiple charges is the vector sum of the individual fields.
📊 Diagram: Diagram showing a point charge Q with electric field vectors radiating outward (if positive) or inward (if negative) at various points around it.
🧪 Activity: No specific activity in this section.
🔗 Connection: Prepares for visualization of electric fields using electric field lines.
Frequently asked questions
Q5 If an electric dipole is placed in a uniform electric field , it experiences
Torque only
Q2. A body can be negatively charged
By adding some electrons to it
Q4.In a region where intensity of electric field is 5NC -1 , 40 electric field lines are crossing per square metre. The number of electric field lines crossing per square metre where intensity of electric field is 10 NC -1 , will be
80
Which of the following angle has minimum potential energy when dipole is placed in uniform electric field
0º
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