Which of the following is true about electric field lines?
A) They point tangentially around a circle centered on a charge.
B) They point away from positive charges and towards negative charges.
C) They point away from negative charges and towards positive charges.
D) None of these accurately describes how electric field lines point with respect to electric charges.
To determine the correct answer, let's analyze each statement:
A) They point tangentially around a circle centered on a charge.
This statement is incorrect. Electric field lines do not form complete circles around a single charge. Instead, they emerge from positive charges (or converge towards negative charges) and extend infinitely in all directions.
B) They point away from positive charges and towards negative charges.
This statement is correct. Electric field lines always emerge radially outward from positive charges and converge radially inward toward negative charges. This pattern reflects the direction in which positive test charges placed in the electric field would be pushed or pulled.
C) They point away from negative charges and towards positive charges.
This statement is incorrect. Electric field lines do not point towards positive charges and away from negative charges. It is the other way around (as described in option B).
D) None of these accurately describes how electric field lines point with respect to electric charges.
This statement is incorrect because option B accurately describes the true behavior of electric field lines.
Therefore, the correct answer is B) They point away from positive charges and towards negative charges.