In just the same way that a magnet has a magnetic field surrounding it so electric charges have an electric field surrounding them.
The fields for four important electrode arrangements are shown in the diagrams:
1. Two unlike charges – attraction.
2. Two like charges – repulsion.
3. A charge and an oppositely charged plate.
4. Two oppositely charged plates.
(The direction of the arrows shows the way a positive charge would move if placed in the field.)
