Electric Field Lines Imagine lines which follow the electric field. At any point, the tangent gives the direction of the field vector. Such field lines are usually drawn so that the number of lines per unit area perpendicular to the lines is proportional to the magnitude of the field. When the lines diverge, the magnitude of the field is decreasing. The field of a point charge is radial.
Field lines provide a way to visualize the electric influence of a charge distribution.
Far from a collection of charges, the electric field is approximately that of a point charge equal to the net charge. For a neutral system, the far field is roughly that of a dipole. If a charge accelerates, the effect is not felt instantly at a distance. The ripple in the field is an electromagnetic wave. If you shake an electric charge, you make force waves which in fact carry energy.