What is electric field and what is its SI unit?

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Question: What is electric field and what is its SI unit?

Option a: The electric force acting on a positive test charge, the SI unit is N
- This describes electric force, not the electric field. The electric field at a point is defined as the force per unit charge that a small test charge would experience, but the unit is not simply N. It is derived from F/q, which leads to N/C, not N. So this mixes concepts and uses an incorrect unit for the field itself.

Option b: The region of space around a charged object, the SI unit is N/C
- This is the correct conceptual definition: the electric field is the region of space around a charge where forces would be experienced by test charges. The SI unit N/C (newtons per coulomb) matches the definition E = F/q, giving units N per C. This option accurately states both the phenomenon and the unit.

Option c: The electric force acting on a positive test charge, the SI unit is N/C
- This option incorrectly identifies the electric field with the electric force. The force is F, while the field is E = F/q. Also, the unit N/C is the unit of the field, not of the force. The wording here confuses the two quantities.

Option d: The region of space around a charged object, the SI unit is N
- While the description of the field as the region around a charged object is correct, the unit is wrong. The field unit is N/C, not N. So this option introduces a unit error despite the correct conceptual idea.

Summary across options: The key distinction is whether we are describing the quantity (electric field as a region of space around a charge) and whether the unit is correctly stated as N/C. The correct pairing is option b, which correctly describes the field and its unit. The other options either mix up the concept (confusing force with field) or assign an incorrect unit (N instead of N/C).

UCIC 202503 PHYS101 Quiz 9

What is electric field and what is its SI unit?

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