(a) An electrostatic field line is a continuous curve because a charge experiences a continuous force when traced in an electrostatic field. The field line cannot have sudden breaks because the charge moves continuously and does not jump from one point to the other . ... Hence, two field lines never cross each other.
Why can’t two electric field lines cross?
Electric lines of force never intersect because, at the point of intersection, two tangents can be drawn to the two lines of force . This means two directions of the electric field at the point of intersection, which is not possible.
Why can electric field lines never cross?
Electric field lines cannot cross. ... This is because they are, by definition, a line of constant potential . The equipotential at a given point in space can only have a single value. If lines for two different values of the potential were to cross, then they would no longer represent equipotential lines.
Why electric field lines do not pass through conductor?
After keeping a conductor under the influence of an electric field, the free electrons of the conductor will arrange themselves such a way so that they can cancel any field line inside the conductor and make the electric field 0 inside it. ... Otherwise, electrons could not move through the wire to make a current.
Can electric field lines cross in free space?
Every single location in space has its own electric field strength and direction associated with it. Consequently, the lines representing the field cannot cross each other at any given location in space .
Are electric field lines straight?
In an uniform electric field, the field lines are straight, parallel and uniformly spaced . The electric field lines can never form closed loops, as line can never start and end on the same charge. ... Also, this is the path on which a positive test charge will tend to move if free to do so.
What is the electric field intensity?
A measure of the force exerted by one charged body on another . The electric field intensity (volts/meter) at any location is the force (Newtons) that would be experienced by unit test charge (Coulombs) placed at the location. ...
Can electric field lines be broken?
Electric Charges and Fields. a) An electrostatic field line is a continuous curve. That is, a field line cannot have sudden breaks . ... The charge is moving continuously from point to point rather than jumping from one point to another and experiences continuous force in the electrostatic field.
Can electric field lines curve?
This means that the overlapping curved field lines will average out as a straight field line, through the middle of the point-charge pairs. The outermost edges of the electric field, on the other hand, will have nothing to interfere with, and remain curved.
Why electric field is perpendicular to the surface?
The mutual repulsion of excess positive charges on a spherical conductor distributes them uniformly on its surface . The resulting electric field is perpendicular to the surface and zero inside. Outside the conductor, the field is identical to that of a point charge at the center equal to the excess charge.
Can electric field inside a conductor be non zero?
Can the electric field inside a conductor be non zero? The answer is NO. Electric field inside a conductor is always zero . Reason: The electricity conducting free electrons are only present on the external surface of the conductor.
Can electric field lines pass through a vacuum?
Even at low voltages, electricity can in fact travel through a perfect vacuum . ... A vacuum arc can occur if the electric field is sufficient to cause field electron emission.
Is there an electric field inside an insulator?
We define a conductor as a material in which charges are free to move over macroscopic distances—i.e., they can leave their nuclei and move around the material. An insulator is anything else. ... There can be no electric field inside a conductor .
What would crossed electric field lines indicate?
Electric field lines indicate the direction of the force due to the electric field on a positive test charge. Each electric force has its own direction at each point. If two electric field lines crossed, that would indicate that a force has two directions at the point at which they cross .
What is the formula for electric field strength?
The field strength between the two parallel surfaces E, equals, V, slash, d,E=V/d where V is the voltage difference between the surfaces, and d is their separation. This means that the unit of electric field strength, the N, C, to the power minus 1 ,NC−1 is equivalent to the V, m, to the power minus 1 ,Vm−1.
Does electric field lines form Closed Loop?
Complete step by step answer
Since electric field lines originate and terminate on charges of opposite polarity, electric field lines can never form closed loops as to form a closed loop, the electric field lines must originate and end at the same charge.
