The red sphere is the charge and the small white sphere is the location of the calculated electric field. This stuff is in 3-D. If you right click with the mouse you can rotate things around.

DR. O. HEAVISIDE has investigated (NATURE, April 19) the slow motion of a charged conducting sphere through a uniform electric field, in a direction parallel to the electric force of the field ...

Since I know that the electric field is spherically symmetric around this point charge, I know the direction of the electric field on this imaginary sphere. Better yet, I know the magnitude is ...