Which component is used to store electrical energy in an electric field?

The component that stores electrical energy in an electric field is a capacitor. Capacitors are designed to hold electrical charge, and they do this by creating an electric field between two conductive plates separated by an insulating material, known as a dielectric. When voltage is applied across the plates, an electric field is established, and electrical energy is stored within this field.

Capacitors are widely used in various applications, including in power supply circuits for smoothing out voltage fluctuations, in timing circuits, and in filtering applications. Their ability to quickly charge and discharge makes them essential for applications requiring rapid energy storage and release.

In contrast, other components like inductors store energy in a magnetic field, resistors dissipate energy as heat, and transformers are designed to transfer electrical energy between circuits at varying voltages but do not store energy themselves. This fundamental difference in functionality reinforces why capacitors are specifically recognized for their role in energy storage in an electric field.