What is the difference between equipotential lines and surfaces?

An equipotential line is a line along which the electric potential is constant. An equipotential surface is a three-dimensional version of equipotential lines. Equipotential lines are always perpendicular to electric field lines.

What are equipotential lines used for?

Equipotential lines provide a quantitative way of viewing the electric potential in two dimensions. Every point on a given line is at the same potential. Such maps can be thought as topographic maps.

What is an equipotential line or source?

Equipotential lines are like contour lines on a map which trace lines of equal altitude. In this case the “altitude” is electric potential or voltage. Equipotential lines are always perpendicular to the electric field. In three dimensions, the lines form equipotential surfaces.

Why do equipotential lines never cross?

Equipotential lines at different potentials can never cross either. This is because they are, by definition, a line of constant potential. The equipotential at a given point in space can only have a single value. Note: It is possible for two lines representing the same potential to cross.

What is shape of equipotential surface of a point a charge and line charge?

A surface on which the potential is constant is called an equipotential surface. A curve on which the potential is constant is called equipotential curve. If we consider the line charges, then the locus of points should have the same potential. Hence it is cylinder.

What is shape of equipotential surface of a point a charge?

For a point charge, the equipotential surfaces are concentric spherical shells centered at the charge.

Do equipotential lines have direction?

Equipotentials simply connect all the points that have the same potential energy (if a particle was there), and so you can move along them and do no work, and as such have no associated direction (unlike field lines).

How do equipotential lines work?

The potential is the same along each equipotential line, meaning that no work is required to move a charge anywhere along one of those lines. Work is needed to move a charge from one equipotential line to another. Equipotential lines are perpendicular to electric field lines in every case.

What is an equipotential surface give an example?

a surface all of whose points have the same potential. For example, the surface of a conductor in electrostatics is an equipotential surface. In a force field the lines of force are normal, or perpendicular, to an equipotential surface.

Why can two equipotential lines cross?

Follow Us: Equipotential lines can never cross. Equipotential lines indicate a certain voltage and are always constant, so for two equipotential lines to cross would mean that the area they cover has two separate voltages at the same time, which is not possible.

What is the shape of the equipotential surface of a point charge?

The shape of the equipotential surface is in the form of concentric spherical shells. There is a decrease in the electric field as we move away from the point charge.

What is the equipotential surface for a line charge?

The shape of equipotential surface for an infinite line charge is coaxial cylindrical.

Which is the best description of an equipotential surface?

An equipotential surface is a three-dimensional version of equipotential lines. Equipotential lines are always perpendicular to electric field lines. The process by which a conductor can be fixed at zero volts by connecting it to the earth with a good conductor is called grounding. What is an equipotential line? What is an equipotential surface?

Is the equipotential line always perpendicular to the field line?

Equipotential lines are always perpendicular to electric field lines. The process by which a conductor can be fixed at zero volts by connecting it to the earth with a good conductor is called grounding. What is an equipotential line? What is an equipotential surface?

How to draw equipotential surfaces for two charges?

The electric field lines and equipotential lines for two equal but opposite charges. The equipotential lines can be drawn by making them perpendicular to the electric field lines, if those are known. Note that the potential is greatest (most positive) near the positive charge and least (most negative) near the negative charge.

Where are the equipotential lines in figure 19.8?

An equipotential sphere is a circle in the two-dimensional view of Figure 19.8. Since the electric field lines point radially away from the charge, they are perpendicular to the equipotential lines. size 12 {Q} {} with its electric field lines in blue and equipotential lines in green.