True or False
When electric field lines are curved, the electric field at any point is tangent to the field line at that point.
If you realize what these "lines" are, they are figments of our imagination of what the E field is. Of course it is true.
True. When electric field lines are curved, the electric field at any given point is tangent to the field line at that point. This means that the electric field vector direction is aligned with the tangent line of the field line.
To understand why this is true, we need to remember that electric field lines represent the direction and strength of the electric field at various points in space. The lines are drawn such that the tangent to the field line at any point gives the direction of the electric field at that point.
To verify this, one can follow these steps:
1. Visualize the electric field lines: Electric field lines always start from positive charges and terminate at negative charges (or at infinity in the case of a single isolated charge). They are drawn closer together where the field is stronger and farther apart where the field is weaker.
2. Choose a specific point on a curved field line: Select a point on the field line where you want to determine the direction of the electric field.
3. Draw a tangent line: To find the direction of the electric field at that point, draw a tangent line that touches the field line at the chosen point. The direction of the tangent line represents the direction of the electric field at that specific point.
4. Observe the direction of the tangent line: By comparing the direction of the tangent line with the direction of the electric field lines around it, you will see that the tangent line aligns with the direction of the electric field lines at that point.
Therefore, when electric field lines are curved, the electric field at any point is tangent to the field line at that point.