Electric Field & Charges Simulator
Drag positive and negative charges around and watch the field lines and forces react.
Drag any charge. Double-click a charge to delete it. Drag the yellow test charge to feel the force.
About the Electric Field & Charges Simulator
Free electric field simulator. Drag positive and negative charges, see field lines and arrows update live, and move a test charge to feel the force and the potential. Built for physics, the electric field & charges simulator runs instantly in your browser: change a setting or drag an object and the result updates at once, so you learn by trying things out rather than only reading about them.
Drag positive and negative charges around and watch the field lines and forces react. Use it to explore physics ideas at your own pace, then check what you found against the key ideas further down this page.
How to use the Electric Field & Charges Simulator
- Use the controls to change New charge size. The simulation reacts instantly.
- Pick an option such as Field lines, Field arrows, Test charge, Dipole to switch modes or load an example.
- Press "+ Positive", "− Negative", "Clear all" to start, reset or change what is happening.
- Where you see a glowing handle, object, weight or atom, drag it with your mouse or finger. Everything responds in real time.
- Watch the readouts and graphs update as you experiment, and compare what you see with the key ideas below.
Things to try
- Add one positive and one negative charge to make a dipole.
- Drag the yellow test charge around and watch the force arrow.
- Put two positive charges close together and look at the field between them.
- Turn on the field arrows grid.
Key ideas you can learn
- Field lines start on positive charges and end on negative charges.
- Coulomb's law: force between charges is proportional to q1 q2 / r².
- A test charge feels a force along the field direction (opposite for negative charges).
Where this is used in the real world
Electric fields are used in capacitors, particle accelerators, printers, air purifiers and to understand lightning.
Who is this simulation for?
Physics students in middle school, high school and first-year university, teachers who want a quick demonstration for the projector, and anyone revising for exams. It works well for flipped classrooms because students can explore before the lesson.
For teachers: project it on the board, let students predict what will happen, then run it together. For students: change one thing at a time and write down what changes.
Frequently asked questions
What do electric field lines show?
The direction a positive test charge would be pushed. The closer the lines are together, the stronger the field.
What is Coulomb's law?
The force between two point charges is F = k q1 q2 / r². Like charges repel, unlike charges attract.
Is the Electric Field & Charges Simulator free to use?
Yes. It is completely free, with no signup, no download and no ads inside the simulation. It runs in your web browser.
Does the Electric Field & Charges Simulator work on a phone or tablet?
Yes. It uses touch as well as the mouse, so you can drag objects with your finger. A larger screen makes the controls easier to see.