Question

Draw the field lines for the isolated charges below. make sure you are sketching continuous field lines. place a positive charge in the middle of the screen.

a. investigate and analyze:
move the charge vertically over top of a column of arrows. move the charge horizontally over top of a row of arrows. now move the charge between arrows (horizontally and/or vertically). finally move the charge diagonally. as you move the charge around the screen what do you notice about the arrows surrounding the charge?

Answer 1

To draw the field lines for isolated charges, follow certain properties such as beginning on positive charges and terminating on negative charges. The number and direction of the field lines are proportional to the magnitude of the charge, and the strength of the field is proportional to the closeness of the field lines.

Step-by-step explanation:

To draw the field lines for the isolated charges, we need to follow certain properties:

1. Field lines must begin on positive charges and terminate on negative charges, or at infinity in the hypothetical case of isolated charges.
2. The number of field lines leaving a positive charge or entering a negative charge is proportional to the magnitude of the charge.
3. The strength of the field is proportional to the closeness of the field lines-more precisely, it is proportional to the number of lines per unit area perpendicular to the lines.
4. The direction of the electric field is tangent to the field line at any point in space.
5. Field lines can never cross.

By moving the charge vertically, horizontally, between arrows, or diagonally, you will notice that the arrows surrounding the charge change direction and density, following the properties mentioned above.