Question

electric field lines provide information about?

Answer 1

Dear Student,

An electric field line is an imaginary line or curve drawn through a region of empty space so that its tangent at any point is in the direction of the electric field vector at that point. The relative closeness of the lines at some place gives an idea about the intensity of electric field at that point.

Electric field lines have some important and interesting properties, let us study them:

1) Electric field lines always begin on a positive charge and end on a negative charge, so they do not form closed curves. They do not start or stop in midspace.
2) The number of electric field lines leaving a positive charge or entering a negative charge is proportional to the magnitude of the charge.
3) Electric field lines never intersect
4) In an uniform electric field, the field lines are straight, parallel and uniformly spaced.
5) The electric field lines can never form closed loops, as line can never start and end on the same charge .
6) These field lines always flow from higher potential to lower potential.
7) If the electric field in a given region of space is zero, electric field lines do not exist.
8) The tangent to a line at any point gives the direction of the electric field at the point. Also, this is the path on which a positive test charge will tend to move if free to do so.


Regard!