Electric field and potential

Learning objectives

To identify properties of the electric field: direction, intensity, symmetry, superposition principle.
To know how to define the field lines and equipotentials of a charge distribution.

Like mass, electric charge is a fundamental property of matter. The unit of charge is the Coulomb (C).
An electric charge, as a point in space, creates a disturbance called an electric field. It is a vector field (intensity or magnitude and, direction at any point in the field) represented by E. The unit is the Volt per meter [V/m].