A charged particle produces an electric field in the space surrounding it. When another charged particle is placed in this field, it experiences an electric force. Thus, the electric field provides a physical description of the influence of a charge on the space surrounding it. The electric field at a point is defined as the region of space around a charge or a system of charges in which another charged particle experiences an electric force. The concept of the electric field was developed by Michael Faraday . Electric field is a vector field , since it has both magnitude and direction. It is quantitatively described in terms of electric field intensity . Intensity of Electric Field The electric field intensity at a point is defined as the force experienced by a unit positive test charge placed at that point: where is the force acting on the test charge . The test charge is assumed to be a very small positive point charge , so that its presence does not appreciably distu...
