electric field
An electric field is a space around a charged particle where the particle exerts electric force on other charged particles. Because of their force fields, charged particles can exert force on each other without actually touching. Electric fields are generally represented by arrows, as you can see in the Figure below . The arrows show the direction of electric force around a positive particle and a negative particle. For an animated diagram, go to this URL: http://ocw. mit. edu/ans7870/8/8.02T/f04/visualizations/electrostatics/15-CreateField/CreateField_640. mpg.