Electric Field Definition

Source lecture(s): SC134 Lec2

Physical Meaning

Force per unit test charge.

Variable Definitions

Symbol	Meaning
\(\vec{E}\)	electric field
\(\vec{F}\)	force
\(q_0\)	test charge

Assumptions

\(q_0\to0\) so it does not perturb sources.

Derivation

Measure force on known test charge; divide by \(q_0\).

Applications

Field mapping, Millikan experiment, particle accelerators.

Connections to Other Equations

• coulombs-law-eq
• electric-force