An electric field line is an imaginary line or curve drawn from a point of an electric field such that tangent to it (at any point) gives the direction of the electric field at that point.
Table of Contents
How do you solve electric field problems in physics?

What are the 4 important properties of electric field lines?
- Field lines never intersect each other.
- They are perpendicular to the surface charge.
- The field is strong when the lines are close together, and it is weak when the field lines move apart from each other.
- The number of field lines is directly proportional to the magnitude of the charge.
What is the formula of electric field lines?
We can use the equation E = k | Q | r 2 E = k | Q | r 2 to find the magnitude of the electric field. The direction of the electric field is determined by the sign of the charge, which is negative in this case.
What is the SI unit of electric field?
The SI unit of the electric field is volts per metre (V/m). This unit is equivalent to Newton’s per coulomb. These are derived units where Newton is a unit of force and Coulomb is the unit of charge.
What is Q in electric field?
The symbol q in the equation is the quantity of charge on the test charge (not the source charge). Recall that the electric field strength is defined in terms of how it is measured or tested; thus, the test charge finds its way into the equation. Electric field is the force per quantity of charge on the test charge.
What are the properties of electric line?
- The electric lines of force start from a positive charge and ends on a negative charge.
- The electric lines of force always enter or leave the charged surface normally.
- Electric lines of force can never intersect each other.
What are electric lines and its properties?
An electric line of force is a smooth curve drawn in an electric field. The tangent at any point on the curve indicates the direction of the electric field at that point.
What are the two types of electric field lines?
An electric field is the force that fills the space around every electric charge or group of charges. There are two types of electric fields: static (or electrostatic) fields and dynamic (or time-varying) fields.
What is the importance of electric field lines?
Electric field lines reveal information about the direction (and the strength) of an electric field within a region of space. If the lines cross each other at a given location, then there must be two distinctly different values of electric field with their own individual direction at that given location.
What is dimension of electric field?
Therefore, the Electric Field is dimensionally represented as [M1 L1 I-1 T-3].
How do you define field lines?
Definition of field line : any one of a system of nonintersecting lines so drawn in mapping a vector field that the direction of the tangent to it at any point is that of the vector at that point.
Is electric field a scalar or vector?
No, electric field is not a scalar. The electric is a vector quantity. We know that electric field is the ratio of force per unit test charge. Since, force is a vector quantity, electric field is also a vector quantity.
Where do electric field lines point?
Electric field lines point away from positive charges and toward negative charges.
How is electric field formed?
The space surrounding a charged object is affected by the presence of the charge; an electric field is established in that space. A charged object creates an electric field – an alteration of the space or field in the region that surrounds it. Other charges in that field would feel the unusual alteration of the space.
What is field energy?
The energy of an electric field results from the excitation of the space permeated by the electric field. It can be thought of as the potential energy that would be imparted on a point charge placed in the field.
Can electric field be negative?
An electric field can never be negative. An electric field is a force experienced by the charge divided by the magnitude of the charge. The magnitude of the charge is the modulus value of the charge.
What is current formula?
Ohm’s law relates the current flowing through a conductor to the voltage V and resistance R; that is, V = IR. An alternative statement of Ohm’s law is I = V/R.
What is k in Coulomb’s law?
The constant of proportionality k is called Coulomb’s constant. In SI units, the constant k has the value k = 8.99 ร 10 9 N โ m 2 /C 2. k = 8.99 ร 10 9 N โ m 2 /C 2. The direction of the force is along the line joining the centers of the two objects.
Does electric field depend on area?
Electric field intensity at any cross-section in a current carrying wire is in inversely proportional to its cross sectional area.
What is electric line force?
An electric line of force is an imaginary continuous line or curve drawn in an electric field such that tangent to it at any point gives the direction of the electric force at that point. the direction of a line of force is the direction along which a small free positive charge will move along the line.
Why electric field lines are called lines of force?
The number of field lines that begin or end on a charge is directly proportional to magnitude of charge (2) Electric field lines specify not only the direction of the electric field, but also the direction of the force. This is why the lines are sometimes called lines of force.
Why do electric field lines not intersect?
Electric lines of force never intersect each other because at the point of intersection, two tangents can be drawn to the two lines of force. This means two direction of electric field at the point of intersection, which is not possible.
What is the principle of Gauss law in field calculations?
Gauss Law states that the total electric flux out of a closed surface is equal to the charge enclosed divided by the permittivity. The electric flux in an area is defined as the electric field multiplied by the area of the surface projected in a plane and perpendicular to the field.
Where does electric line force start?
Each electric line of force originates from the positive charge and is terminated to the negative charge.