# Does electric field obey the triangle law of vector addition and subtraction?

I know that electric field strength is force per unit charge but what I have not yet understood properly is that how electric field can obey the laws of vector addition and subtraction excluding the linear situation?

Does electric field completely obey the triangle law of vectors? Does it produce a resultant like other vectors when two electric fields meet at an angle?

If yes, then is it used practically anywhere in our world.

Electric Field is force per unit charge. Since force is a vector, a vector divided by scalar also gives a vector. Just think in this way; at a point the net force is obtained by laws of vector addition, so electric field is also effectively obtained by same way. That makes sense

• Your answer was quite comprehensive but can you give an example of how this property of electric fields is used practically. Sep 7 '20 at 14:03
• @stack3002 if you have two things that create electric fields, they add together Sep 7 '20 at 17:24
• Any industrial or daily life application? Sep 7 '20 at 17:25

Electric field, as you say, is force per unit charge.
In classical mechanics we postulate that forces behave like vectors. Charge is a scalar quantity, and a ratio between a vector and a scalar is also a vector; this last statement has little to do with physic, is just how vectors work mathematically, or even better it is just how we define vectors to work. So follows that electric field is also a vector, so it behaves like a vector, this behaviour include the rule of summation between vectors.
So yes, two different electric fields sum in every point with the rule of summation of vectors. Always. Because they are vectors.

• Thanks. I upvoted your answer. Can you edit the answer or write in the comments an example where the vector addition of electric fields is used. Sep 7 '20 at 14:01
• Think about the electric field generated by two point charges located in some locations: the electric field in every point in space is just the sum of the electric fields generated by the two particles in that point Sep 7 '20 at 14:45
• Any industrial or daily life application? Sep 7 '20 at 17:26