| MadSci Network: Physics |
Yes. An ionizer works by charging an electrode to several thousand volts, causing some of the excess electrons to be energetic enough to leak off the electrode and onto nearby air molecules (N2 and O2, mostly). Electric fields are caused by the presence of electric charges or by time-changing magnetic fields. The presence of excess charge at the ionizer's electrode means that there will be a net electric field emanating from the electrode. The fact that the electrode is charged to several thousand volts relative to the surrounding earth, room, furniture, people, etc., is further evidence of an electric field. This is because, by definition, voltage measures the strength of an electric field's lines of force between two points (the electrode and you, for example). Steve Czarnecki
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