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draw the electric field lines due to a uniformly charged thin spherical shell when charge on the shell is (i) positive and (ii) negative

User Mark Keats
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Final answer:

The electric field lines for a uniformly charged spherical shell depend on the sign of the charge. They radiate outward from the surface for a positive charge, and for a negative charge, they begin at infinity and terminate on the surface. Inside the shell, there is no electric field in both cases.

Step-by-step explanation:

Drawing Electric Field Lines for a Spherical Shell

The electric field lines for a uniformly charged thin spherical shell can be drawn differently based on whether the charge on the shell is positive or negative. In both cases, these electric field lines are visual representations that help us understand the influence a charge has on the space around it.

Positive Charge

For a positively charged shell, the electric field lines radiate outward from the shell's surface. By the principles of electrostatics, inside the shell, the electric field is zero, which means no field lines are found in this region. Outside the shell, the field lines extend radially outwards to infinity, spaced evenly along the surface, illustrating a uniform charge distribution.

Negative Charge

For a negatively charged shell, the field lines are the reverse; they start at infinity and terminate on the shell's surface, implying that the external field is directed towards the shell. Similar to the positive case, no field lines would be present within the shell, indicating an absence of electric field in that region.

User Surafel
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