Electric field

An electric field is a vector field that shows the direction that a positively charged particle will move when placed in the field. More precisely, if a particle has an electric charge ${\displaystyle q}$ and is in an electric field ${\displaystyle {\vec {E}}}$, the electric force the charge will feel is ${\displaystyle {\vec {F}}=q\cdot {\vec {E}}}$. Electric fields are produced around objects that have electrical charge, or by a magnetic field that changes with time. Electric field lines are used to represent the influence of electric field. ^[1] The idea of an electric field was first made by Michael Faraday.^[2]

Electric fields are caused by electric charges, described by Gauss's law,^[3] or varying magnetic fields, described by Faraday's law of induction.^[4] The equations of both fields are coupled and together form Maxwell's equations that describe both fields as a function of charges and currents.^[5]