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What is angle between electric field and...

What is angle between electric field and equipotential surface?

A

`90^(@)` always

B

`0^(@)` always

C

`0^(@)" to "90^(@)`

D

`0^(@)" to "180^(@)`

Text Solution

AI Generated Solution

The correct Answer is:
To determine the angle between the electric field and the equipotential surface, we can follow these steps: ### Step-by-Step Solution: 1. **Understanding Electric Field and Equipotential Surfaces:** - Electric field lines represent the direction of the force that a positive test charge would experience in the field. - Equipotential surfaces are surfaces where the electric potential is constant. This means that no work is done when moving a charge along these surfaces. 2. **Visualizing the Scenario:** - Consider a point charge, say a positive charge (+Q). The electric field lines emanate radially outward from this charge. - Equipotential surfaces around a point charge are spherical surfaces centered on the charge, where every point on a given surface has the same electric potential. 3. **Analyzing the Relationship:** - Since the electric field is directed outward from the charge, and the equipotential surfaces are spherical, the electric field lines will intersect the equipotential surfaces at right angles. - This means that if you were to draw a tangent to the equipotential surface at any point, the electric field line would be perpendicular to this tangent. 4. **Conclusion:** - Therefore, the angle between the electric field and the equipotential surface is **90 degrees**. ### Final Answer: The angle between the electric field and the equipotential surface is **90 degrees**. ---
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