Question

Which one of the following statements is correct? Electric field due to static charges is:

• A. conservative and field lines do not form closed loops
• B. non-conservative and field lines form closed loops
• C. non-conservative and field lines do not form closed loops
• D. conservative and field lines form closed loops

Hint:

Electric fields due to static charges are conservative and the lines do not form closed loops.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

The correct statement regarding the electric field due to static charges is that it is conservative and field lines do not form closed loops.

An electric field is said to be conservative if the work done by the electric field on a test charge is independent of the path taken and depends only on the initial and final positions. This implies that the work done around any closed path is zero, a property of a conservative field. Mathematically, for a conservative field, we have:

\(∮C E · dl = 0\)

where ∮_C indicates the integral around a closed path and E is the electric field. Therefore, the electric field created by static charges is conservative.

Additionally, the electric field lines of static charges start at positive charges and end at negative charges, without forming closed loops. This is in contrast to the magnetic field lines, which do form closed loops. Therefore, the statement that the electric field is conservative and field lines do not form closed loops is correct.