What are electric field lines?

Electric field lines are imaginary lines that represent the direction of the electric force on a positive test charge. They start on positive charges, end on negative charges, and are more densely packed where the field is strongest. They never cross each other.

What is Coulomb's law?

Coulomb's law states F = kq1q2/r�, where k = 8.99�10? N�m�/C� is Coulomb's constant, q1 and q2 are the charges, and r is the separation. The force is repulsive for like charges and attractive for unlike charges.

What are equipotential surfaces?

Equipotential surfaces (or lines in 2D) connect all points at the same electric potential. No work is done moving a charge along an equipotential. They are always perpendicular to electric field lines. For a single point charge they are concentric spheres.

How does the superposition principle work in the simulation?

When multiple charges are present, the total electric field at any point is the vector sum of the individual fields from each charge: E_total = SE_i. Similarly, the total electric potential is the scalar sum V_total = Skq?/r?. The simulation computes both for every point using this principle.

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🧪 Electric Field Lines Simulator | Interactive Electrostatics

Visualise electric field lines and equipotential surfaces in real time. Place positive and negative point charges, explore Coulomb's law, superposition principle, and Gauss's law. Free browser simulation for GCSE, A-Level, IB and AP Physics.

Electromagnetism2DModerate60 FPS

⚙ Under the hood

This simulation visually represents electric fields as lines of force, illustrating electrostatic interactions. Users can adjust charges and observe the resulting field patterns.

Electric Field LinesElectrostatics

2D · HTML5 Canvas 2D · 60 FPS target · runs fully client-side, no install