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Electric Field as a Vector:
The electric field (E) at a given location about a source charge (Q) is a vector quantity. That is, it has a direction. The force upon a test charge (q) could be an attractive force (towards the source charge) or a repulsive force (away from the source charge) depending upon whether the Q and q are like-charged or oppositely charged. In defining the direction of the electric field, a convention is used so that the direction is dependent upon the type of charge on the source charge Q. According to the convention, the direction of the electric field is in the direction that a positive test charge would be pushed or pulled if placed in the space surrounding Q.
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By convention, the direction of the electric field vector at any given location is the direction which a positive test charge would be pushed or pulled if placed at that location. Combining this convention with the rule that like charged objects repel, one can determine the direction of the electric field in the space surrounding a positive source charge. A positive source charge and a positive test charge will repel each other. That is, the positive test charge will be pushed away from the positive source charge at all locations in the space surrounding the source charge.
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