Why the angle between the electric field lines and equipotential lines should be 90 degrees and what is the potential of the earth considered zero?
Murtadha Shukur
Work done by the electric field is zero along equipotential lines: Equipotential lines represent points in space where the electric potential is constant. This means that no work is done by the electric field on a charged particle moving along an equipotential line. If the electric field lines were not perpendicular to equipotential lines, then there would be a component of the electric field force parallel to the equipotential line, which would do work on the charged particle. Gradient of the electric potential: The electric field is defined as the negative gradient of the electric potential. This means that the direction of the electric field is always perpendicular to the surface of constant potential, which is an equipotential line.
The angle between the electric field lines and equipotential lines is always 90 degrees for two main reasons:
The potential of the Earth is considered to be zero for practical reasons. This is because the Earth is very large and electrically neutral, so the overall electric field near the Earth's surface is very weak. By setting the Earth's potential to zero, we can simplify calculations of electric potential and electric field near the Earth's surface.
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