Why the equipotential lines near conductor surfaces are parallel to the surface and why are they perpendicular to the insulator surface mapped?
The electric field near the surface of a conductor is always perpendicular to the surface. This is because conductors have free electrons that can move around to cancel out any electric field inside the conductor. As a result, the only electric field that can exist inside a conductor is one that is pointing directly away from the surface.
Equipotential lines are always perpendicular to the electric field. This means that equipotential lines near the surface of a conductor must be parallel to the surface.
Insulators do not have free electrons, so they cannot cancel out electric fields. As a result, electric fields can exist inside insulators. Equipotential lines near the surface of an insulator can be any shape, depending on the shape of the electric field. However, they are always perpendicular to the surface of the insulator.
Here is a more detailed explanation of why equipotential lines are parallel to the surface of a conductor:
The electric field is a force that acts on charges. The direction of the electric field is the direction in which a positive charge would move if it were placed in the field.
The electric potential is a scalar quantity that measures the amount of work that would be done against the electric field to move a unit charge from one point to another. The potential is always measured in volts (V).
Equipotential lines are lines that connect points that have the same electric potential. This means that no work would be done against the electric field to move a unit charge from one point on an equipotential line to another point on the same line.
The electric field is always perpendicular to equipotential lines. This means that if you move a charge along an equipotential line, no work will be done against the electric field.
In a conductor, free electrons can move around to cancel out any electric field inside the conductor. As a result, the only electric field that can exist inside a conductor is one that is pointing directly away from the surface.
This means that equipotential lines near the surface of a conductor must be parallel to the surface.
The electric field is perpendicular to the surface in conductors. No field exists within the conductors. As a result, near the surface, equipotential lines are formed. Hence, they are parallel to the surface of the conductor as they are perpendicular to the field lines. Equipotential lines are always perpendicular to electric field lines. The process by which a conductor can be fixed at zero volts by connecting it to the earth with a good conductor is grounding. One of the rules for static electric fields and conductors is that the electric field must be perpendicular to the surface of any conductor. This implies that a conductor is an equipotential surface in static situations. There can be no voltage difference across the surface of a conductor, or charges will flow. An equipotential surface means a surface on which the electric potential is constant. The field lines have to be perpendicular. Otherwise there will be lines of force parallel to the surface and charges will start moving on the surface. The equipotential surfaces are always perpendicular to the direction of the field. This is because if the electric field is not perpendicular to the equipotential surface there would have existed some nonzero component along the surface. The lines of force are always normal to the surface of a conductor on which the charges are in equilibrium Reason. If the lines of force are not normal to the conductor, the component of the field E parallel to the surface would cause the electrons to move and would set up a current on the surface. Equipotential lines are always perpendicular to the electric field. This means that equipotential lines near the surface of a conductor must be parallel to the surface. Insulators do not have free electrons, so they cannot cancel out electric fields. As a result, electric fields can exist inside insulators. The electric field is perpendicular to the surface in conductors. No field exists within the conductors. As a result, near the surface, equipotential lines are formed. Hence, they are parallel to the surface of the conductor as they are perpendicular to the field lines.
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