What is a basic difference between an assault and a battery?

The correct choice highlights a fundamental legal distinction between assault and battery. Assault refers to the act of intentionally causing someone to fear imminent harm or offensive contact, and it can occur without any physical interaction. This means that a person can be charged with assault simply for making a threatening gesture or statement that leads another person to feel unsafe or threatened, even if no actual contact occurs.

In contrast, battery requires physical contact. It involves the unauthorized and intentional infliction of harmful or offensive contact with another person. This means that while someone might feel threatened by an assault, actual harm or contact must occur for an act to be classified as battery.

Understanding this difference is crucial for legal context, as it affects how charges are pursued and the implications of each offense. While some may think of its severity or the setting in which it occurs, those facets are not the primary distinguishing characteristics. Instead, the presence or absence of physical contact is the core difference.