The direction of the electric field produced by a positive point charge is:

The direction of the electric field produced by a positive point charge is:

• A. Points away from the charge
• B. Points toward the charge
• C. Always tangential
• D. Always zero

Answer: (A)

Electric field direction is defined as the direction of the force a positive test charge would experience placed in the field. For a positive point charge, this means the source repels positive charges, pushing them directly away along the line from the source to the field point. So at any location around the charge, the field vector points outward, away from the charge. This radial, outward direction is the characteristic of a positive point charge’s field. The field is not tangential and it is not zero (except infinitely far away). If the source were negative, the field would point toward the charge, because the force on a positive test charge would be attractive.

Electric field direction is defined as the direction of the force a positive test charge would experience placed in the field. For a positive point charge, this means the source repels positive charges, pushing them directly away along the line from the source to the field point. So at any location around the charge, the field vector points outward, away from the charge. This radial, outward direction is the characteristic of a positive point charge’s field. The field is not tangential and it is not zero (except infinitely far away). If the source were negative, the field would point toward the charge, because the force on a positive test charge would be attractive.