Electric Field Strength Converter

Easily convert between different units of electric field strength including volt per meter, newton per coulomb, statvolt per centimeter, and other specialized electrical units.

Electric Field Strength Converter

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About Electric Field Strength Conversion

Electric field strength, also known as electric field intensity, is a vector quantity that represents the force per unit charge experienced by a stationary positive test charge at a given point in an electric field. It is a fundamental concept in electrostatics and electrodynamics, representing the strength and direction of an electric field.

Common Electric Field Strength Conversions

  • 1 volt per meter (V/m) = 0.01 volt per centimeter (V/cm)
  • 1 volt per meter (V/m) = 0.001 volt per millimeter (V/mm)
  • 1 kilovolt per meter (kV/m) = 1,000 volt per meter (V/m)
  • 1 volt per meter (V/m) = 1 newton per coulomb (N/C)
  • 1 volt per meter (V/m) = 0.0000333564 statvolt per centimeter (statV/cm)
  • 1 statvolt per centimeter (statV/cm) = 29,979.2458 volt per meter (V/m)
  • 1 volt per meter (V/m) = 0.0254 volt per inch (V/in)

Understanding Electric Field Strength

Electric field strength (E) at a point is defined as the electric force (F) experienced by a test charge (q) placed at that point, divided by the magnitude of the test charge:

E = F/q

The SI unit for electric field strength is the volt per meter (V/m), which is equivalent to the newton per coulomb (N/C). This equivalence is evident from the definition, as volts are defined as joules per coulomb, and newtons are defined as joules per meter.

Electric fields can be produced by electric charges, time-varying magnetic fields, or changing current distributions. The electric field around a point charge follows Coulomb's law:

E = k·q/r²

Where k is Coulomb's constant (≈ 8.99 × 109 N·m²/C²), q is the charge, and r is the distance from the charge.

Applications of Electric Field Strength

Understanding and measuring electric field strength is important in many fields:

  • Electrical engineering (high-voltage equipment, insulation design)
  • Electronics (electromagnetic compatibility, circuit design)
  • Physics (particle accelerators, electromagnetic theory)
  • Environmental science (atmospheric electricity, lightning research)
  • Telecommunication (antenna design, signal propagation)
  • Health and safety (electromagnetic exposure standards)
  • Materials science (dielectric properties, breakdown strength)

Typical Values in Real-World Applications

  • Electrical breakdown of air: 3 × 106 V/m
  • Lightning electric fields: 104 to 105 V/m
  • High-voltage transmission lines: 103 to 104 V/m at surface
  • Static electricity: 10 to 100 kV/m
  • Earth's fair-weather electric field: 100 to 150 V/m
  • Cell phone electromagnetic field: 1 to 10 V/m
  • Typical household background electric field: 1 to 10 V/m

Electric Field and Electric Potential

Electric field strength is related to electric potential (voltage). In fact, the electric field is the negative gradient of the electric potential (V):

E = -∇V

In the simple case of a uniform field, the relationship becomes:

E = -ΔV/d

Where ΔV is the potential difference and d is the distance. This relationship shows why the unit of electric field strength is volt per meter.

Our electric field strength converter provides accurate conversions between all these units, making it easy to translate between different measurement systems for engineering calculations, physics problems, and educational purposes.