An electric field line is a component of a diagram representing an electric field. It is a line that corresponds with the electric field at every point along its length.
- The direction of the electric field line shows the direction of the electric field.
- Drawing field lines to show an electric field is a way of visualizing the direction and strength of the field at given points in space.
- Electric field lines point away from their origin at a positively charged object and towards their termination at a negatively charged object.
- At a sub-atomic scale, the electric field around a positively charged particle (such as a proton) is directed away from the charge, and the electric field around a negative charge particle (such as an electron) is directed towards the charge.
- The density of field lines is used to represent the strength of the electric field, with more lines indicating a stronger field.