Electric Field Lines, Learn Definition, Meaning, Properties, and Rules for Drawing Electric Field Lines

Electric field lines: Electric field lines are an outstanding way of imagining electric fields. Michael Faraday first discovered them. A field line is created tangentially to the net at a point. At this point, the tangent to the electric field line bouts the direction of the electric field at that point.  Further, the relative density of field lines across a point to the comparative magnitude of the electric field at that point.

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In other words, it can be explained as the observation of electric field lines in the environs of point A compared to point B. The electric field is stronger than point A.

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Table of Content

Properties of electric field lines

Electric Field Lines Attraction and Repulsion

Rules for Forming Electric Field lines

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Properties of electric field lines

The properties of Electric field lines are as follows-

• The magnitude of charge and the number of electric field lines are proportional to each other.
• A single charge must be utilized for the field lines to either start or end at Infinity.
• The field lines never cross each other.
• The starting point of the field lines is at the positive charge and ends at the negative charge.
• The field lines are vertical to the surface of the charge.

Electric Field Lines Attraction and Repulsion

Electric field lines always repel from a positive charge and attract a negative charge. These start at a positive charge and end at a negative charge.  Moreover, electric field lines never cross each other. Even if they do, it reflects that there are two directions of the electric field at that point. However, this is impossible because electric fields adjoin vectorially at any point. Remember that a field line is created tangentially to the net electric field at a point.  Therefore, electric field lines can never cross each other.

As discussed above, field lines are an excellent way to imagine electric fields. We can almost observe the attraction between different charges and the repulsion between charges as though they are trying to repel each other. Considering the example of static charge on hair, the direction in which charged hair attracts to the comb reflects the local electric field lines. The charges on the hair apply forces on the hair strand as they try to leak into the surrounding uncharged area. The hair lines up consequently so that there is no total force acting on it and involuntarily reflects traces of the electric field lines. 


Also read:
Electric Charges and Static Electricity
Electric Charge
Conductors and Insulators
Basic Properties of Electric Charge
Forces between Multiple Charges
Charging by Induction
Magnetic effect of Electric Current
Electric Flux
Electric Dipole
Potential energy of a dipole in an external field
Continuous Charge Distribution
 

Rules for Forming Electric Field lines

The rules for forming electric field lines are as follows-

• When the field is stronger, the field is closely bounded to each other.
• The electric field and electric field lines are tangent at the point where they go through.
• The electric field lines start at the positive charge and end at the negative charge or Infinity.
• The electric field lines should never intersect each other.
• The number of felines relies on the charge.