Place point charges and visualize electric field lines, equipotential curves, and field strength with interactive charge dragging.
Arrange positive and negative point charges, then drag them to see how the electric field pattern, equipotential curves, and field strength change. The display supports qualitative comparisons of attraction, repulsion, symmetry, cancellation, and regions with steep potential change. The common mistake is treating the number or spacing of rendered field lines as a direct measurement. Field lines sample direction visually; field strength and equipotential spacing are the relevant indicators of magnitude.
Each point charge contributes a radial electric field: away from a positive charge and toward a negative charge, with magnitude proportional to charge and inversely proportional to squared distance. At each displayed location, those contributions combine as vectors. Dragging one charge changes its distance and direction relative to other locations, so the overall field pattern changes.
An equipotential curve joins positions having the same electric potential. Potential contributions from point charges combine as signed scalar quantities, allowing positive and negative contributions to cancel. Electric field lines meet equipotential curves at right angles wherever the field is nonzero. Closely spaced equipotentials indicate a larger potential gradient than widely spaced curves under the same display settings.
Electric-field direction is defined as the direction of force on a hypothetical positive test charge. Such a test charge is repelled by a positive source and attracted by a negative source. Reversing the sign of the test particle would reverse its force, but it would not reverse the displayed electric-field direction.
No. Equipotential curves mark equal potential, while field lines show the local field direction. A moving particle's path also depends on its charge, mass, initial position, and velocity. Even when its acceleration initially follows or opposes the field, inertia means its later trajectory need not coincide with a field line.
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