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In this Class 12 Physics topic from Chapter 1, Electric Charges and Fields, students learn how electric charges produce an electric field and how the field is represented using electric field lines. The topic explains field strength, direction, the role of a test charge, and the principle of superposition for multiple charges. Students also study the properties, patterns, and relative density of field lines, including their use in understanding isolated charges and electric dipoles.
TOPIC PRACTICE
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Easy · Level 2View options
They cut equipotential surfaces perpendicularly
They are always parallel to them
They have no relation with them
They only form circles
Easy · Level 2View options
From the positive charge to the negative charge
From the negative charge to the positive charge
Away from both charges to infinity
In closed circles between both charges
Easy · Level 2View options
To disturb the original field as little as possible
To create a large force
To destroy the source charge
To make the field always zero
Easy · Level 2View options
Electric field = force divided by test charge
Electric field = force multiplied by mass
Electric field = time divided by charge
Electric field = distance multiplied by temperature
Easy · Level 2View options
5 newtons per coulomb
10 newtons per coulomb
20 newtons per coulomb
2 newtons per coulomb
Easy · Level 2View options
4 newton per coulomb
1 newton per coulomb
0.25 newton per coulomb
8 newton per coulomb
Easy · Level 2View options
It will remain the same everywhere
It will keep changing everywhere
It will become zero
It will exist only at the centre
Easy · Level 2View options
To show the direction of the electric field
To show the length of the line
To show the weight of the charge
To decorate the diagram
Easy · Level 2View options
In a uniform electric field
Near a single point charge
Very close to two equal positive charges
In an irregular charge distribution
Easy · Level 2View options
Radially outward
Radially inward
As parallel lines
As closed squares
Easy · Level 2View options
Radially inward
Radially outward
Parallel only upward
Only circular
Easy · Level 2View options
The electric field may be considered zero there
The field is very large there
Only negative charge is present there
The direction is everywhere
Easy · Level 2View options
Because they start from positive charge and end on negative charge
Because they are magnetic lines
Because they are always parallel to surfaces
Because they have no source
Easy · Level 2View options
Direction of force on a positive test charge
Exact colour of the charge
Value of mass
Flow of time
Easy · Level 2View options
From positive charge to negative charge
From negative charge to positive charge
Away from both charges
They do not go toward either charge
Easy · Level 2View options
Field is becoming stronger
Field is disappearing
Charge is becoming mass
Direction has no meaning
Easy · Level 2View options
Field is becoming weaker
Field is becoming stronger
Field direction has disappeared
Source charge is always increasing
Easy · Level 2View options
Positive charge
Negative charge
Neutron
Uncharged particle
Easy · Level 2View options
Negative charge
Positive charge
Neutral particle
On no particle
Easy · Level 2View options
On positive charge
On negative charge
Only inside a conductor
Only in zero field
Easy · Level 2View options
On negative charge
On positive charge
Only in empty space
Only on a magnet
Easy · Level 2View options
To the right
To the left
Upward
Downward
Easy · Level 2View options
Understanding the direction and relative strength of the electric field
Measuring the colour of charge
Calculating time
Converting mass into charge
Easy · Level 2View options
Away from the positive charge
Towards the positive charge
Always upward
Always downward
Easy · Level 2View options
Outward from the charge
Towards the charge
In closed circular paths
In a no-field direction
Question 1EasyLevel 2
How are electric field lines related to equipotential surfaces?
Correct answer: A
An equipotential surface has the same electric potential at every point, so moving a test charge along it requires no work. The electric field points in the direction of the greatest decrease of potential and therefore has no tangential component on that surface. It must be normal to the surface, so field lines intersect it perpendicularly. Option A is correct.
In an electric dipole, field lines generally go from where to where?
Correct answer: A
By definition, the direction of an electric field is the direction of force on a small positive test charge. Electric field lines originate at a positive charge and terminate at a negative charge. Thus, for an electric dipole, the external field lines generally run from the positive charge to the negative charge. They do not form closed circles, so option A is correct.
Why is a small positive test charge used to measure electric field?
Correct answer: A
Electric field at a point is defined using the force on a positive test charge, but the measuring charge should not significantly alter the source-charge arrangement. Choosing it to be very small keeps its own effect and the disturbance of the original field negligible. The purpose is not to create a large force or destroy charges. Hence option A is correct.
Which relation can be used to understand the magnitude of electric field?
Correct answer: A
The magnitude of electric field is defined as the force experienced per unit positive test charge: E = F/q. Therefore, if the force is known and the test charge is known, dividing F by q gives the field magnitude. Its SI unit is newton per coulomb, equivalent to volt per metre. Thus option A is correct.
If a force of 10 newtons acts on a positive test charge of 2 coulombs, what is the electric-field magnitude?
Correct answer: A
Electric field is defined as force per unit positive test charge: E = F/q. Substituting F = 10 N and q = 2 C gives E = 10/2 = 5 N/C. Because the question asks for magnitude, only the positive numerical value is needed. Option A is therefore correct. Multiplying force and charge would give the wrong units, while options B and D result from failing to divide correctly.
A 1 coulomb positive test charge experiences 4 newton force at a point. What is the electric field?
Correct answer: A
The governing definition of electric field is E = F/q, where F is the force on a small positive test charge and q is its charge. Substituting the given values gives E = 4 N ÷ 1 C = 4 N/C. Therefore, option A is correct. Option B incorrectly uses the charge value, option C reverses the division, and option D doubles the force without any physical reason.
How will force on the same charge behave in a uniform electric field?
Correct answer: A
In a uniform electric field, both the magnitude and direction of the field are constant throughout the stated region. The force on a charge is given by F = qE. Since the charge q is unchanged and E is also unchanged, the force remains constant in magnitude and direction. Thus option A is correct; it is not automatically zero, changing, or restricted to a centre.
The arrows on electric field lines represent the direction of the electric field at each point. By definition, this is the direction in which a positive test charge would experience force. Hence option A is correct. The arrow does not measure the line's length, the charge's weight, or artistic appearance. Line density may indicate field strength, but arrow direction indicates field direction.
In which situation are electric field lines considered straight and parallel?
Correct answer: A
Straight, parallel, and equally spaced field lines represent a uniform electric field: the direction is constant because the lines remain parallel, and the magnitude is constant because their spacing is equal. Therefore option A is correct. A point charge produces radial lines, while two charges or an irregular distribution generally produce curved, nonuniform patterns rather than a uniform set.
How do field lines of a single positive point charge spread?
Correct answer: A
A point charge produces a spherically symmetric electric field, so its field lines are directed along radii from the charge. Because a positive charge repels a positive test charge, the force and field point away from the charge in every direction. Thus option A is correct. Inward radial lines describe a negative charge, parallel lines describe a uniform field, and closed squares are not electric field lines.
How are field lines of a single negative point charge shaped?
Correct answer: A
Electric field direction is defined as the direction of force on a positive test charge. A negative point charge attracts that test charge, so the field points toward the negative charge from every direction. The lines are therefore radial and inward, making option A correct. Radially outward lines belong to a positive point charge; a single point charge does not create only upward parallel or circular electric field lines.
If no electric field lines are shown in a region then what is the usual conclusion about that region?
Correct answer: A
In a field-line diagram, the presence and density of lines are used to represent the electric field. If a region is intentionally shown without any field lines, the usual interpretation is that the electric field there is zero or negligible, so option A is correct. A strong field would normally be represented by many closely spaced lines. Absence of lines alone does not prove that only negative charge is present.
Why do electrostatic field lines not form closed loops?
Correct answer: A
Electrostatic field lines begin on positive charges and end on negative charges, or extend to or from infinity when the corresponding charge is absent. They do not return to their starting point because the electrostatic field is conservative and has zero circulation around a closed path. Therefore option A gives the correct physical description. Closed field-line loops are characteristic of magnetic fields, not electrostatic fields.
What can we know by looking at the direction of electric field lines?
Correct answer: A
The arrow direction of an electric field line is defined as the direction of force that would act on a small positive test charge placed at that point. Thus option A is correct. The arrows do not provide the charge's colour, the mass of an object, or any information about the flow of time. Field-line spacing can provide qualitative information about field magnitude, but direction specifically gives the force direction on a positive test charge.
Between two opposite charges in which direction do field lines go?
Correct answer: A
By convention, electric field lines originate on positive charges and terminate on negative charges. Between two opposite charges, the field-line direction is therefore from the positive charge toward the negative charge, making option A correct. Option B reverses the electric-field convention. Lines do not point away from both charges, and they do enter the negative charge rather than avoiding both charges.
Field lines coming closer together indicate what type of electric field?
Correct answer: A
The density or spacing of electric field lines represents the relative magnitude of the electric field. When the lines become closer, more lines pass through the same region, so the field magnitude is greater there. Therefore, option A is correct. Closer spacing does not mean that the field disappears, that charge changes into mass, or that direction becomes meaningless; arrows still show the field direction.
What does spreading out of electric field lines indicate?
Correct answer: A
Electric field-line diagrams use line density to show relative field magnitude. As the lines spread farther apart, fewer lines are represented in a given area, indicating a smaller electric-field magnitude. Thus option A is correct. Closer lines would indicate a stronger field; spreading does not erase the field direction, and it does not prove that the source charge is increasing.
For which charge are the electric field direction and force direction the same?
Correct answer: A
The electric field direction is defined as the direction of force on a positive test charge. This also follows from the relation F = qE: for q > 0, the force vector has the same direction as E. Therefore option A is correct. A negative charge experiences force opposite to E, while a neutron or neutral particle has no electric force due to q = 0 in this idealized context.
For which charge are the electric field direction and force direction opposite?
Correct answer: A
The force on a charge in an electric field is given by the vector equation F = qE. For a negative charge, q is less than zero, so multiplying E by q reverses the direction of the force. Hence option A is correct. A positive charge is pushed along the field, whereas a neutral particle has no electric force from this relation because its net charge is zero.
By convention, an electric field line points in the direction of force on a positive test charge. Outside an electrostatic charge distribution, lines emerge from positive charges and terminate on negative charges or at infinity. Therefore option A is correct. Negative charges are possible endpoints, while a conductor’s interior is not the universal starting location and a zero-field region cannot define a line direction.
Electric field lines are conventionally directed from positive charge toward negative charge. Thus a line may terminate on a negative charge, or it may extend to infinity if no opposite charge is present. Option A is correct. A positive charge is normally a source of lines, empty space is not necessarily an endpoint, and magnets belong to magnetic-field diagrams rather than electrostatic field-line diagrams.
If field lines are parallel and directed to the right, then what is the direction of the electric field?
Correct answer: A
The arrow placed on an electric field line defines the local direction of the electric field, namely the direction in which a positive test charge would be pushed. Since every parallel line is directed to the right, the field direction is to the right. Therefore option A is correct. The parallel arrangement also suggests a uniform direction, while the other directions contradict the shown arrows.
What is the most correct use of electric field lines?
Correct answer: A
Electric field lines are a visual representation, not physical wires. Their arrows show the direction of the electric field, and their relative density indicates the field’s relative strength: crowded lines mean stronger field and widely spaced lines mean weaker field. Hence option A is correct. They do not measure charge colour, calculate time, or convert mass into charge.
What is taken as the direction of electric field at a point due to a positive charge?
Correct answer: A
The electric field at a point is defined as the force that would act on a small positive test charge placed at that point, divided by the test charge. A positive source charge repels a positive test charge, so the force and hence the electric-field direction are radially outward, away from the source. The direction is not automatically upward or downward; it depends on the source position. Therefore A is correct.
In which direction are electric field lines shown for a negative charge?
Correct answer: B
Electric-field lines are drawn in the direction of the force on a positive test charge. A negative source charge attracts such a test charge, so the field vector points toward the negative charge and the lines terminate on it. By convention, lines originate from positive charges and end on negative charges; electrostatic field lines are not closed circular paths. Hence option B is correct, while A reverses the direction and C and D have no valid basis.
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