The electric field lines from an isolated positively charged conductin

The electric field lines from an isolated positively charged conducting sphere are

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tangential to the conducting surface

at right angles to the conducting surface and towards the centre of the sphere

at any angle to the conducting surface

at right angles to the conducting surface and outwards from the centre of the sphere

Answer is Right!

Answer is Wrong!

This question was previously asked in

UPSC NDA-1 – 2022

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For a conductor in electrostatic equilibrium, the electric field lines are always perpendicular to the surface, and for a positively charged object, they point outwards.

In electrostatic equilibrium, the electric field inside a conductor is zero, and any net charge resides on the surface. If the electric field had a component parallel to the surface, charges would move along the surface, and the conductor would not be in equilibrium. Therefore, the electric field lines must be perpendicular (at right angles) to the surface of the conductor. For a positively charged object, electric field lines originate from the positive charges and point away from them. For a sphere, this direction is radially outwards from the centre.

For a negatively charged conducting sphere, the electric field lines would also be at right angles to the surface but would point inwards towards the centre of the sphere, terminating on the negative charges on the surface.

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