10.2 Electric Fields

Electric Fields are the field around a charged object to which there is an electric force on other charged objects. They originate from the charged object pointing either directly out of the object if the charge is positive and directly into the object if the charge is negative. Electric fields are vectors, measured in Newtons per Coulomb (N/C), and represented with the variable ${\vec{E}}$.

In an electric field, its strength can be found with a test charge to measure the strength of the electric force. A test charge is a very small charge that will move in an electric field but not influence the electric field itself. The direction of an electric field will be the same as the direction of the electric force exerted on a positive test charge in that field. A strong electric field will exert a large electrostatic force on a test charge while a weak electric field will exert a smaller electrostatic force on a test charge.