Electric fields are drawn using lines with arrows. The arrows show the direction of the force on a small positive charge placed in the field. The field lines therefore point away from a positive charge and towards a negative charge.
Around a single point charge the field is radial. The lines are straight and spread out like the spokes of a wheel. For a positive point charge the arrows point outwards. For a negative point charge they point inwards. The lines are close together near the charge and further apart as you move away.
Between two oppositely charged parallel plates the field is uniform in the middle. The lines are straight, parallel and equally spaced, and they point from the positive plate to the negative plate. The uniform field has the same strength everywhere between the plates, except near the edges where the lines bend outwards.
The strength of the field is shown by the concentration of the lines. Where the lines are close together the field is strong. Where they are far apart the field is weak.
