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supported by the National Science Foundation
written by John Belcher
designer: Michael Danziger
This is an animation of the creation of an electric field through charge separation. It begins with five negative and five positive charges, all at the same point in space (no electric field). One by one, the five positive charges are moved at constant velocity to the same position L along the horizontal axis. The strength of the electric field grows as each positive charge is moved into place.

EDITOR'S NOTE: We suggest using this animation with a closely related model by the same authors showing the opposite phenomenon: destruction of an electric field. See Related Materials for a link to MIT 8.02: Destroying an Electric Field.

For lecture notes that accompany this specific animation, click below:
MIT Open Courseware: Capacitance and Dielectrics Lecture Notes (pdf)

Please note that this resource requires Quicktime.
Subjects Levels Resource Types
Education Practices
- Technology
= Multimedia
Electricity & Magnetism
- Electric Fields and Potential
= Electric Field
- Electrostatics
= Coulomb's Law
- High School
- Lower Undergraduate
- Audio/Visual
= Movie/Animation
Appropriate Courses Categories Ratings
- Conceptual Physics
- Algebra-based Physics
- AP Physics
- Activity
- New teachers
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Intended Users:
Learner
Educator
Format:
video/quicktime
Access Rights:
Free access
License:
This material is released under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license.
Rights Holder:
MIT Open Courseware (OCW): http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/terms/terms/index.htm
Keywords:
Coulomb, animation, charge separation, dipole, dipole field, electric dipole, field lines, field strength
Record Cloner:
Metadata instance created April 12, 2010 by Caroline Hall
Record Updated:
July 19, 2011 by Lyle Barbato
Last Update
when Cataloged:
May 24, 2008
Other Collections:

ComPADRE is beta testing Citation Styles!

Record Link
AIP Format
J. Belcher, (2004), WWW Document, (http://web.mit.edu/8.02t/www/802TEAL3D/visualizations/electrostatics/CreateField/createField.htm).
AJP/PRST-PER
J. Belcher, MIT Physics 8.02: Electrostatics - Creating an Electric Field (2004), <http://web.mit.edu/8.02t/www/802TEAL3D/visualizations/electrostatics/CreateField/createField.htm>.
APA Format
Belcher, J. (2008, May 24). MIT Physics 8.02: Electrostatics - Creating an Electric Field. Retrieved February 13, 2025, from http://web.mit.edu/8.02t/www/802TEAL3D/visualizations/electrostatics/CreateField/createField.htm
Chicago Format
Belcher, John. MIT Physics 8.02: Electrostatics - Creating an Electric Field. May 24, 2008. http://web.mit.edu/8.02t/www/802TEAL3D/visualizations/electrostatics/CreateField/createField.htm (accessed 13 February 2025).
MLA Format
Belcher, John. MIT Physics 8.02: Electrostatics - Creating an Electric Field. 2004. 24 May 2008. National Science Foundation. 13 Feb. 2025 <http://web.mit.edu/8.02t/www/802TEAL3D/visualizations/electrostatics/CreateField/createField.htm>.
BibTeX Export Format
@misc{ Author = "John Belcher", Title = {MIT Physics 8.02: Electrostatics - Creating an Electric Field}, Volume = {2025}, Number = {13 February 2025}, Month = {May 24, 2008}, Year = {2004} }
Refer Export Format

%A John Belcher %T MIT Physics 8.02: Electrostatics - Creating an Electric Field %D May 24, 2008 %U http://web.mit.edu/8.02t/www/802TEAL3D/visualizations/electrostatics/CreateField/createField.htm %O video/quicktime

EndNote Export Format

%0 Electronic Source %A Belcher, John %D May 24, 2008 %T MIT Physics 8.02: Electrostatics - Creating an Electric Field %V 2025 %N 13 February 2025 %8 May 24, 2008 %9 video/quicktime %U http://web.mit.edu/8.02t/www/802TEAL3D/visualizations/electrostatics/CreateField/createField.htm


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Citation Source Information

The AIP Style presented is based on information from the AIP Style Manual.

The APA Style presented is based on information from APA Style.org: Electronic References.

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MIT Physics 8.02: Electrostatics - Creating an Electric Field:

Covers the Same Topic As MIT Physics 8.02: Electrostatics - Creation of an Electric Dipole

This related animation by the same authors shows the separation of one positive and one negative charge of equal magnitudes, resulting in the classic electric dipole field pattern.

relation by Caroline Hall
Accompanies MIT Physics 8.02: Electrostatics - Destroying an Electric Field

A companion animation by the same authors that depicts the opposite phenomenon: the destruction of an electric field. It begins with five positive and five negative electric charges separated by a distance L in space. One-by-one, the positive charges are moved to the position of the negative charges, with strength of field decreasing as each charge is moved into place.

relation by Caroline Hall

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