Based on the Lorentz force law given directly in terms of the scalar and th
e vector potentials, electric and magnetic fields are defined explicitly in
terms of the potentials. These are in turn defined explicitly in terms of
charge and current densities, respectively. The divergence and the curl rel
ations of the two fields thus defined are just Maxwell's equations. The exp
licitness of the formulae provides a clearer way to understand the physical
meanings of electric and magnetic fields.