In electrostatics, what do we call the region around a charged object that exerts a force on any other electric charge placed within that region?

Introduction / Context:
When dealing with charged objects, physicists often describe their influence on space in terms of fields. Instead of thinking only about forces acting at a distance, the concept of an electric field helps us visualise how a charge affects the region around it. Any other charge brought into this region experiences a force. The question asks you to identify the correct term for this region, which is fundamental for understanding Coulomb law, field lines, and electric potential.

Given Data / Assumptions:
• We have a charged object that influences the space around it. • Another charge placed in that space feels a force due to the first charge. • The options include electric field, electrostatic force, inductive field, and all of the above. • Standard definitions from basic electrostatics apply.

Concept / Approach:
An electric field is defined as the force per unit positive test charge at each point in space around a source charge. It describes how a small test charge would be pushed or pulled if placed there. The electrostatic force is the actual force experienced by a particular charge placed in that field; it is not the region itself. The term inductive field is not a standard phrase in basic electrostatics for this concept. Therefore, the correct term for the region that exerts a force on charges is electric field, not the force or some other loosely defined field.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall the definition of an electric field around a point charge or charged object. Step 2: Understand that the electric field exists even when no other test charge is present. Step 3: Recognise that when a test charge is placed in this region, it experiences an electrostatic force equal to charge multiplied by field strength. Step 4: Distinguish between the field (the property of space) and the force (the effect on a particular charge). Step 5: Note that inductive field is not the common term used for this situation in basic theory. Step 6: Conclude that electric field is the correct name for the region described in the question.

Verification / Alternative check:
Physics textbooks define electric field as a vector field that associates a vector, the force per unit charge, with every point in space around a source charge. Diagrams show electric field lines emanating from positive charges and terminating on negative charges, illustrating how the field fills space. The electrostatic force on a charge q is then given by F = q * E, where E is the electric field at that point. There is no standard diagram or equation that treats electrostatic force itself as the region, which confirms that force and field are distinct concepts. This supports the choice of electric field as the correct answer.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B, electrostatic force, describes the actual push or pull on a specific charge but not the region that causes it. Option C, inductive field, is not a standard textbook term for the region around a static charge; induction usually refers to effects in conductors or magnets. Option D claims all of the above, but since options B and C are not correct descriptions of the region, this combined option is also wrong. Only electric field accurately names the region that exerts a force on any charge placed in it.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes use the words field and force interchangeably, which can cause confusion in more advanced topics like potential energy and field superposition. Another pitfall is to think that the field exists only when a test charge is present, while in fact the field is a property of space due to the source charge. Keeping the distinction clear that the electric field is what exists around the charge and the electrostatic force is what a particular test charge experiences will help you solve many electrostatics problems correctly.

Final Answer:
The correct choice is Electric field, because the electric field is the region around a charged object in which any other electric charge placed there will experience a force.