In which direction do electric field lines point around a single positive charge?
AToward the charge
BAway from the charge
CIn circles around the charge
DThey do not have a direction
By convention, electric field lines point in the direction a positive test charge would be pushed. Since like charges repel, a positive test charge would be pushed away from a positive source charge.
Question 2 True / False
Electric field lines are closer together where the field is stronger.
TTrue
FFalse
Answer: True
The density of field lines represents field strength. Closely spaced lines mean strong field; widely spaced lines mean weak field.
Question 3 Short Answer
What does an electric field tell you about a point in space?
Think about your answer, then reveal below.
Model answer: It tells you the direction and strength of the electric force that would act on a positive test charge placed at that point.
The electric field at a point is defined as the force per unit positive charge: E = F/q. It describes what force a charge would experience if placed there, even if no charge is actually present.