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Electric field patterns around charged spheres

Electricity and circuits • Static electricity

Key concepts

What you'll likely be quizzed about

  • Electric field lines are visual representations that illustrate the direction and strength of an electric field.
  • For a uniformly charged sphere, the field lines radiate outward from the surface of the sphere, indicating the path a positive test charge would take.
  • The density of these lines corresponds to the field's strength; closer lines mean a stronger field.
  • At distances far from the sphere, the field behaves similarly to that of a point charge, with lines radial and diverging evenly.

Flashcards

Test your knowledge with interactive flashcards

How do electric field lines behave around a charged sphere?

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Field lines radiate outward from the surface of a uniformly charged sphere.

Key notes

Important points to keep in mind

Field lines radiate outward from positive charges.

Closer lines indicate stronger electric fields.

Field strength diminishes with increasing distance.

Uniformly charged spheres show symmetrical field patterns.

Electric fields are critical for understanding electrostatic forces.

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