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A positive point charge and a negative point charge of equal size sit in space. In which direction do the electric field lines point around each of these two charges?
AToward positive charge, away from negative charge
BAway from both charges, whatever their sign
CToward both charges, whatever their sign
DAway from positive charge, toward negative charge
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: D. Away from positive charge, toward negative charge
1. Electric field direction is defined by the force it would exert on a positive test charge.
2. A positive test charge is pushed away from another positive charge, so field lines point away from positive sources.
3. A positive test charge is pulled toward a negative charge, so field lines point toward negative sources.
4. Options A and C ignore that the sign of the source charge sets the direction, which is the sign trap for field direction.
_Source: OpenStax Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 18 "Static Electricity", section 18.3 Electric Field_
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