Question

Is an electric field scalar or vector?

Answer 1

An electric field is a vector quantity. It has both a magnitude and a direction, which indicates the force that a positive test charge would experience at a given point in space.

Answer 2

An electric field is a vector quantity. It has both magnitude and direction. The electric field \(\mathbf{E}\) at a point in space is defined as the force \(\mathbf{F}\) experienced by a positive test charge \(q\) placed at that point, divided by the magnitude of the test charge:

\[ \mathbf{E} = \frac{\mathbf{F}}{q} \]

The direction of the electric field is the direction in which a positive test charge would be pushed or pulled.