Are the field lines perpendicular to the surface of your conductor?

The electric field is zero inside a conductor. Just outside a conductor, the electric field lines are perpendicular to its surface, ending or beginning on charges on the surface. Any excess charge resides entirely on the surface or surfaces of a conductor.

Why field lines are perpendicular to the surface of charge?

So that the electrostatic field inside the conductor is zero. In the static situation, no excess charges will be present inside the conductor. To get equipotential or constant potential throughout the surface, electrostatic field lines have to be perpendicular to the segments of the conductor.

Why the electric field just outside the surface of a conductor is normal to the surface?

If the electric field is not normal to the surface, it will have a component tangential to the surface which will immediately cause the flow of charges, producing surface current. Hence electric field is normal to the surface of the conductor at every point.

Can electric field lines pass through conductor?

The net electric field inside a conductor is zero. Therefore, the electric field lines do not pass through a conductor.

Can electric field lines pass through a vacuum?

1) YES, electric fields exist and can extend/propagate through a vacuum.

Why electric field lines are normal to conductor?

In case the electric field is not normal to the surface of the conductor, then it will have a component that is tangential to the surface which will immediately cause the flow of charges, producing surface current. Hence electric field is normal to the surface of the conductor at every point.

What is the direction of the electric field at the surface of a charged conductor?

As the surface density of the conductor is negative, the electric field lines will be radially outwards.

When a conductor is placed in an electric field the field inside the conductor is a positive B negative C constant d zero?

Answer: The “NET” Electric field inside a “conductor” is always zero as you have said. This is basically due to the presence of a lot of free electrons in the conductor.

Why the electric field lines never pass through a hollow conductor?

In a conductor free charges are present and they will always be moving inside if an Electric field exists inside. So for the charges to remain stationary there should be no electric field inside a conductor. Not only that no net charges reside inside the conductor either.

Can electric field be perpendicular to the surface of a conductor?

So thats y it is considered electric field is always pependicular to the surface of the conductor As if it wont be perpendicular then definetely it will have some component along the surface which will help to move the charges. That results in electric current.

How do field lines accelerate charges on a charged conductor?

If a field like is making an angle theta with the surface of a charged conductor, then that field line will try to accelerate the local charge (the charges present on the surface near that field line) tangentially as well as perpendicularly.

Why does the electric field inside a conductor have to be zero?

If there were an electric field component parallel to the surface of the conductor, then it would cause the electric charge to move along the surface, thus violating the equilibrium. The equilibrium is also the reason, the field inside the conductor will have to be zero. What does Google know about me?

What happens if the electric field is parallel to the surface?

If the electric field is parallel to the surface, no field lines pass through the surface and the flux will be zero. The maximum flux occurs when the field is perpendicular to the surface. Permittivity Even though we won’t use this for anything, we should at least write down Gauss’ law: