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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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Up to 25 questions from this page. Select your focus, then start.
25 questions
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Force on a unit positive test charge
Force on a unit mass
Charge flowing per unit time
Pressure on unit area
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Positive test charge
Negative test charge
Neutron
Proton and electron together
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Away from the charge
Towards the charge
Circular around the charge
No fixed direction
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They go towards the charge
They go away from the charge
They are parallel straight lines
They always form closed circles
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Because field cannot have two directions at one point
Because they are formed only by positive charge
Because they are always circular
Because they form only in vacuum
Easy · Level 1View options
Electric field is stronger
Electric field is zero
Electric field direction reverses
Electric charge disappears
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By equally spaced parallel straight lines
By curved lines starting from one point
By closed circles
By broken irregular lines
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East direction
West direction
North direction
South direction
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West direction
East direction
North direction
South direction
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Direction of electric field at that point
Colour of charge at that point
Mass at that point
Temperature at that point
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They start from positive charge and end on negative charge
They start from negative charge and end on positive charge
They always end in empty space
They always form closed circles
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In the direction of the electric field
Opposite to the electric field
Perpendicular to the electric field
No electric force will act
Easy · Level 1View options
Opposite to the electric field
In the direction of the electric field
Always upward
Always downward
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Because it has both magnitude and direction
Because it has only magnitude
Because it is always zero
Because it has no unit
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It decreases inversely as the square of distance
It remains constant with distance
It increases linearly with distance
It increases as the cube of distance
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One-fourth of the original field
Half of the original field
Double the original field
Four times the original field
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Increasing the magnitude of the source charge
Changing the colour of the test charge
Increasing the measuring time
Giving the charge a name
Easy · Level 1View options
Because they are drawn to represent the field
Because the electric field is not real
Because they are always visible
Because they create charge only on paper
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Zero
Very large
Only upward
Only downward
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The net field is the vector sum of all individual fields
The net field is always equal to the smallest field
The net field is always zero
The net field comes only from the first charge
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The net electric force on a positive test charge there will be zero
No charge can exist at that point
Gravitational force will be zero there
Time stops at that point
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Indication of the magnitude of charge
Indication of the colour of charge
Indication of the temperature of charge
Indication of the age of charge
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Perpendicularly
Parallel to the surface
Obliquely, in any direction
They never touch the surface
Easy · Level 1View options
Where the electric field is stronger
Where the electric field is weaker
Where there is no field
Where only gravity exists
Easy · Level 1View options
Weak electric field
Very strong electric field
Zero mass
Charge becoming double
Question 1EasyLevel 1
What is the basic meaning of electric field at a point?
Correct answer: A
The governing concept is the definition of electric field. At a point, electric field is the electric force experienced per unit positive test charge, expressed as E = F/q. Its direction is the direction of force on a positive test charge. Therefore option A is correct. Force per unit mass defines gravitational field, charge per unit time is current, and force per unit area is pressure.
The direction of electric field is decided with respect to which charge?
Correct answer: A
The electric field at a point is defined as the force experienced per unit positive test charge placed at that point, so its direction is the direction of force on a positive test charge. A negative test charge would experience force opposite to the field. A neutron has no charge, and using both proton and electron together is not the defining convention. Therefore, option A is correct.
What is the direction of electric field lines due to a positive point charge?
Correct answer: A
Electric field lines are drawn in the direction in which a positive test charge would move. A positive point charge repels a positive test charge, so the electric field points radially outward from the charge. The lines do not point inward, form circles, or lack direction. Their spacing may change with distance, but their direction remains outward. Hence option A is correct.
How are electric field lines arranged for a negative point charge?
Correct answer: A
The direction of an electric field is defined by the force on a positive test charge. A negative point charge attracts such a test charge, so the field lines point radially inward toward the negative charge. Outward lines describe a positive charge, while parallel lines represent a uniform field and closed circles are not electric field lines. Thus option A is correct.
Why do electric field lines never intersect each other?
Correct answer: A
At every point, the electric field vector has one definite direction, given by the force on a positive test charge. If two electric field lines intersected, their tangents at the intersection would indicate two different field directions at the same point, which is physically impossible. The rule is unrelated to the sign of charge, circular shape, or vacuum. Therefore option A is correct.
What does it mean where electric field lines are closer together?
Correct answer: A
In a field-line diagram, the density of lines represents the relative magnitude of the electric field. When lines are closer together, more lines cross a given area, indicating a stronger field and a larger force on a given positive test charge. This does not mean the field is zero, that its direction reverses, or that charge disappears. Hence option A is correct.
How is a uniform electric field represented by field lines?
Correct answer: A
A uniform electric field has the same magnitude and the same direction at every point in the represented region. Therefore, its field lines must be straight and parallel to show constant direction, and equally spaced to show constant magnitude. Curved or irregular lines indicate changing direction or strength, while closed circles do not represent electrostatic field lines. Thus option A is correct.
If a positive test charge experiences force towards east at a point then what is the direction of electric field there?
Correct answer: A
The electric field direction at a point is defined as the direction of force on a positive test charge. Since the stated test charge is positive and the force on it is directed eastward, the electric field at that point is also directed eastward. The field would be opposite to the force only for a negative charge. Therefore, option A is correct.
If a negative charge experiences force towards east at a point then what is the direction of electric field at that point?
Correct answer: A
The force on a charge is given by F = qE. For a negative charge, q is negative, so the force direction is opposite to the electric-field direction. The force here points east, therefore the electric field must point west. Choosing east would ignore the negative sign; north and south do not satisfy the stated opposite-direction relation. Hence option A is correct.
What does the tangent to an electric field line at any point show?
Correct answer: A
An electric field line is constructed so that its tangent at any point gives the direction of the electric field vector there. A small positive test charge would experience force along this tangent, assuming the field is represented without other complications. The tangent does not provide charge colour, mass, or temperature. Therefore, the direction of the electric field is represented by option A.
Which statement about the start and end of electric field lines is correct?
Correct answer: A
By convention, electric field lines point in the direction of force on a positive test charge. They emerge from positive charges and terminate on negative charges, showing repulsion from positive and attraction toward negative charge. For an isolated charge, a line can extend to or come from infinity, so the statement is a general rule for lines connecting charges. Thus option A is correct.
If a positive charge is placed in an electric field, in which direction will the electric force act?
Correct answer: A
The governing relation is F = qE, where E is the electric field and q is the charge. For a positive charge, q is greater than zero, so multiplying E by q preserves the direction of E. Therefore, the force acts along the electric field, making option A correct. Option B applies to a negative charge, while C and D are not generally valid.
If a negative charge is placed in an electric field, in which direction will the electric force act?
Correct answer: A
The electric force is given by F = qE. A negative charge has q less than zero, so the scalar multiplication reverses the direction of the electric-field vector. Hence the force acts opposite to the field, making option A correct. The field does not automatically point upward or downward; those directions depend on the actual arrangement of charges.
Electric field is defined as the force experienced per unit positive test charge, E = F/q. Force is a vector, so electric field also has a magnitude and a definite direction. Its direction is the direction of force on a positive test charge. Therefore option A is correct; option B describes a scalar, while C and D are false because electric field can be nonzero and has units N/C.
How does the electric field due to a point charge change when the distance from it increases?
Correct answer: A
For a point charge, the electric-field magnitude is E = k|Q|/r². Thus, with the source charge unchanged, increasing r makes the denominator larger and the field decreases as the inverse square of distance. For example, doubling r changes E to E/4. Therefore option A is correct; the other choices use incorrect distance dependences.
If the distance from a point charge is doubled, what happens to the electric field?
Correct answer: A
The electric field due to a point charge follows the inverse-square relation E = k|Q|/r². If the original distance is r, E₁ = k|Q|/r². When the distance becomes 2r, E₂ = k|Q|/(2r)² = k|Q|/(4r²) = E₁/4. Thus the field becomes one-fourth of its original value, so option A is correct. The other choices ignore or reverse the inverse-square dependence.
What increases the electric-field strength when the distance from a point source is kept constant?
Correct answer: A
For a point source, E = k|Q|/r². If r is fixed, the field strength is directly proportional to the magnitude of the source charge |Q|. Therefore increasing |Q| increases E, so option A is correct. The test charge is used to measure the field and does not determine the source field; colour, time, and naming have no role in this electrostatic relation.
Why are electric field lines considered imaginary?
Correct answer: A
An electric field is a real physical effect because it can exert force on a charge and produce measurable consequences. Field lines are not material wires or visible objects; they are an imaginary graphical model used to show the field direction and relative strength. Thus option A is correct. Option B wrongly denies the field, while C and D misunderstand the purpose of the representation.
What is the net electric field at the midpoint between two equal positive charges?
Correct answer: A
At the midpoint, the two equal positive charges are at equal distances, so each produces an electric field of the same magnitude, E = kQ/r². The field from the left charge points away from it, and the field from the right charge points in the opposite direction. These equal and opposite vectors cancel, giving zero net field. Hence option A is correct.
What is the simple meaning of the superposition principle for electric fields?
Correct answer: A
The superposition principle states that each source charge produces its own electric field independently. The resultant field at a point is obtained by adding all individual field vectors: E_net = E₁ + E₂ + E₃ + … . Both magnitudes and directions must be considered, so option A is correct. The net field is not always zero, smallest, or due to only one charge.
Electric field is defined as force per unit positive test charge, E = F/q. If E is zero at a point, the resultant electric force on a suitably small positive test charge placed there is zero. This can happen because fields from several nearby charges cancel; it does not prove that no charges exist. Therefore option A is correct, while C and D concern unrelated ideas.
What does the number of electric field lines indicate?
Correct answer: A
The number of electric field lines drawn from or toward a charge is conventionally proportional to the magnitude of that charge. A larger positive or negative charge is represented by more lines, showing a stronger field overall. The lines do not represent colour, temperature, or age; those properties have no role in this electrostatic diagram convention. Therefore, option A is correct.
How do electric field lines meet the surface of a conductor in electrostatic condition?
Correct answer: A
In electrostatic equilibrium, the electric field cannot have a tangential component at a conductor’s surface. If such a component existed, free charges would move along the surface, contradicting equilibrium. Thus the field is normal to the surface, and field lines meet it perpendicularly. They are not generally parallel or oblique, so option A is correct.
In which region will electric field lines appear denser?
Correct answer: A
The density of electric field lines in a diagram represents the relative magnitude of the electric field. Where lines are closer together, a unit area is crossed by more lines, indicating a stronger field. Widely separated lines indicate a weaker field, while no electric field would have no field lines. Therefore, option A is correct.
What does larger spacing between electric field lines indicate?
Correct answer: A
Field-line spacing is used to compare electric-field strength. Closely packed lines represent a large field magnitude, whereas larger separation means fewer lines per unit area and therefore a weaker field. Spacing does not indicate mass or automatically mean that the charge has doubled. Thus the physically meaningful interpretation is option A, weak electric field.
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