What is a plasma?

A plasma is a gas composed of electrons and ions. It differs from an ionized gas in that the electrical interaction between the individual electron and ions is not important. Instead, the electrons and ions respond to the electric and magnetic fields of the plasma as a whole. This property often leads to mysterious behavior: plasmas sometimes behave like they have a mind of their own. Examples of plasmas are: the Sun, the Aurora Borealis, the inside of a fluorescent lamp, and almost all the space between the planets and the stars.

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