Which of the following are not the properties of electric field lines ?
A. They start from positive charges and end at negative charges.
B. Two field lines can cross each other.
C. Electric field lines form closed loops.
D. In a charge free region, they can be taken to be continuous curves without any breaks.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → B and C only
Electrostatic field lines show the direction of the field at every point, and the electrostatic field is conservative. Each statement is checked against these facts.
(A) They start from positive charges and end at negative charges. — Correct statement (a property). Field lines leave positive charges and end on negative charges (or go to or come from infinity for a single charge).
(B) Two field lines can cross each other. — Incorrect statement (not a property). At a crossing point the field would have two directions at once, which is impossible.
(C) Electric field lines form closed loops. — Incorrect statement (not a property). A closed loop would mean non-zero work done by the field round a closed path, which a conservative field cannot do.
(D) In a charge free region, they can be taken to be continuous curves without any breaks. — Correct statement (a property).
NCERT (2026-27):
Summary – “… Some of the important properties of field lines are: (i) Field lines are continuous curves without any breaks. (ii) Two field lines cannot cross each other. (iii) Electrostatic field lines start at positive charges and end at negative charges —they cannot form closed loops.”