Question

If the charge on an object is doubled then electric field becomes

• A. half
• B. double
• C. unchanged
• D. thrice

Hint:

Think of electric field lines as physical streams coming out of a tap. If you double the water source capacity (charge), you double the amount of streams flowing out (field intensity)!

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The electric field generated by a charged source object is directly proportional to the magnitude of the source charge itself. According to the principle of electrostatic linear superposition, modifying the source strength results in a directly proportional change in the surrounding electric field.

Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
The electric field ($E$) produced by a source point charge $q$ at a distance $r$ is given by Coulomb's Law: $$E = \frac{1}{4\pi\varepsilon_0} \frac{q}{r^2}$$ This confirms a direct linear relationship: $$E \propto q$$

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
Let the initial electric field be $E_1$ for an initial source charge $q_1 = q$. If the charge is doubled, the new source charge becomes $q_2 = 2q$. Substituting the new charge value into our structural proportion: \[ E_2 = \frac{1}{4\pi\varepsilon_0} \frac{(2q)}{r^2} = 2 \times \left( \frac{1}{4\pi\varepsilon_0} \frac{q}{r^2} \right) = 2E_1 \] Because of this direct linear scaling relationship, doubling the value of the source charge results in exactly doubling the intensity of the electric field vector at any fixed spatial point.

Step 4: Final Answer:
The electric field becomes double.