Can anyone help me visualise the workings of an electric field by answering a couple of simple questions?

Question

I have heard that an electric field is a vector of electric charge around a charged particle and this explains its effects and boundaries. How, in practice, is the charge mediated accross the field from the source charged particle so that the particle can interact with any other charged particles that come within the field?

I have read that electrons have a wave/particle duality like light - is this how the charge passes through space within the field? If so, why does the electron wave carry no charge beyond the boundary of the electric field?

Answer 1

Electric fields are defined as point sources. If you want to move on from that concept then you go to Gaussian pillboxes (true story).

Answer 2

Physicists explain the workings of the field by saying that it's mediated by force carrying virtual particles called photons. The particles that interact are exchanging particles. Try the first paragraph here;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_particle

Answer 3

www.howstuffworks.com they can explain pretty much anythink