The region of influence around a charged object?

• A. Charge
• B. Energy
• C. Field
• D. Mass

Answer: (C)

Think of a charged object as creating an electric field that fills the space around it. This field is the region of influence: it’s the area where another charge would feel a force because of the first charge, even without touching. How strong the influence is depends on distance—the field is stronger closer to the charge and weaker farther away. The field also has direction, pointing away from a positive charge and toward a negative one.

The other ideas don’t fit as well. The charge is what creates the influence, not the space around it. Energy is related to the work involved or stored in the field, and mass relates to gravity, not the region where a charge exerts force. So the best answer is the electric field—the region of influence around a charged object.