Why electric field is normal to equipotential surface?
this is because there is no potential gradient along any direction parallel to the surface , and so no electric field parallel to the surface. This means that the electric lines of force are always at right angle to the equipotential surface.
How electric field is perpendicular to equipotential surface?
An equipotential surface is circular in the two-dimensional. Since the electric field lines are directed radially away from the charge, hence they are opposite to the equipotential lines. Therefore, the electric field is perpendicular to the equipotential surface.
Why electric field lines do not form closed loops?
If the electric field lines form a closed loop, these lines must originate and terminate on the same charge which is not possible because electric field lines always move from positive to negative. Therefore, we say electrostatic field lines never form closed loops.
Why are electric field lines continuous curves?
An electrostatic field line is a continuous curve because a charge experiences a continuous force when placed in an electrostatic field. The field line cannot have sudden breaks because the charge moves continuously and does not jump fom one point to another.
What are electric field lines used for?
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.
Can magnetic field lines overlap?
Magnetic field lines can never cross, meaning that the field is unique at any point in space. Magnetic field lines are continuous, forming closed loops without beginning or end. They go from the north pole to the south pole.
Is the magnetic field ever zero?
It’s not really true that magnetic field lines cannot cross, but where they do, the magnetic field strength has to be zero. Here’s why: A magnetic field line is that path in space that points in the direction of the magnetic field at every point along it. Magnetic field lines tend to follow closed loops, though.