Question

___1. Equipotential lines cannot cross because _____.

A) they cannot have the same magnitude

B) they cannot have the same direction

C) they cannot have the same magnitude and direction

___2. Electric field lines cannot cross because _____.

A) they cannot have the same magnitude

B) they cannot have the same direction

C) they cannot have the same magnitude and direction

Answer 1

1)

A) they cannot have the same magnitude

Electric field lines cannot cross. If they did, they would be telling you that the force on a charge at that location would point in two different directions, which does not make any sense at all.

2)

C) they cannot have the same magnitude and direction

Equipotential lines at different potentials can never cross either. This is because they are, by definition, a line of constant potential. The equipotential at a given point in space can only have a single value. If lines for two different values of the potential were to cross, then they would no longer represent equipotential lines. Note: It is possible for two lines representing the same potential to cross.