Which statement about lines of equipotential is true?

Which statement about lines of equipotential is true?

• A. Anywhere along a line is the same electric potential or voltage
• B. They are parallel to the electric field
• C. They indicate points of maximum potential energy
• D. They are lines of constant current

Answer: (A)

Equipotential lines are lines where the electric potential has the same value at every point along them. This means there is no change in potential as you move along the line, so the electric potential energy of a unit test charge stays constant and no work is done by the electric force in moving along that path. The electric field, which points in the direction of decreasing potential, is perpendicular to these lines, not parallel to them. So this statement is the true reflection of what equipotential lines represent. The other ideas don’t fit: lines of constant potential are not parallel to the electric field (they’re perpendicular to it), they don’t indicate points of maximum potential energy (the potential is the same along the line, not a peak), and they are not lines of constant current (current lines describe charge flow, not potential values).

Equipotential lines are lines where the electric potential has the same value at every point along them. This means there is no change in potential as you move along the line, so the electric potential energy of a unit test charge stays constant and no work is done by the electric force in moving along that path. The electric field, which points in the direction of decreasing potential, is perpendicular to these lines, not parallel to them. So this statement is the true reflection of what equipotential lines represent.

The other ideas don’t fit: lines of constant potential are not parallel to the electric field (they’re perpendicular to it), they don’t indicate points of maximum potential energy (the potential is the same along the line, not a peak), and they are not lines of constant current (current lines describe charge flow, not potential values).