What is true about the direction of the electric field just outside the surface of a conductor?
2007-09-16 08:33:05 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
The direction of the field is always perpendicular to the surface of the conductor. If it weren't, the component of the field parallel to the surface would cause electrons in the conductor to move. This motion keeps going until the parallel field is brought to zero and then the electrons stop moving, and then the field is again perpendicular. This all happens rather fast so you just need to know that the result is a perpendicular field.
2007-09-16 08:45:17 · answer #1 · answered by Peter G 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The direction of the electric field just outside the surface of a conductor, if it is charged, is perpendicular to the surface.
2007-09-16 08:47:13 · answer #2 · answered by ecosierra51 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The electric field is always perpendicular to the surface of the conductor
2007-09-16 08:39:56 · answer #3 · answered by Demiurge42 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A magnetic field is a vector field: it associates with every point in space a (pseudo-)vector that may vary in time. The direction of the field is the equilibrium direction of a magnetic dipole (like a compass needle) placed in the field. Since the direction of an electric field is defined as the direction of the force on a positive charge, electric field lines point away from a positive charge and toward a negative charge. When placed in an electric or magnetic field, equal but opposite forces arise on each side of the dipole creating a torque T check sources for more information, and youll beable to know anything you wanna know anything else you need help with let me know through email
2016-05-21 02:09:52 · answer #4 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋