equipotential lines
19.4 Equipotential Lines We can represent electric potentials voltages pictorially, just as we drew pictures to illustrate electric fields. Of course, the two are related. Consider Figure 19.8, which shows an isolated positive point charge and its electric field lines. Electric field lines radiate out from a positive charge and terminate on negative charges. While we use blue arrows to represent the magnitude and direction of the electric field, we use green lines to represent places where the electric potential is constant. These are called equipotential lines in two dimensions, or equipotential surfaces in three dimensions. The term equipotential is also used as a noun, referring to an equipotential line or surface. The potential for a point charge is the same anywhere on an imaginary sphere of radius r surrounding the charge. This is true since the potential for a point charge is given by V = kQ / r and, thus, has the same value at any point that is a given distance r from the charge. An equipotential sphere is a circle in the two-dimensional view of Figure 19.8. Since the electric field lines point radially away from the charge, they are perpendicular to the equipotential lines.