Question

Which of the following figures represents the electric field lines due to a single negative charge?
(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

Answer 1

Hint : Electric field lines are those curves that display the direction of an electric field when a tangent is drawn at its point. The electric field is radially outward from a positive charge and radially in the direction of a negative point charge. Keeping this concept in mind, we can solve the given problem.

Complete step by step answer
As we know that the electric field is defined as the electric force per unit charge. The direction of the field is taken to be the direction of the force it would apply on a positive test charge. The space about an electric charge in which its impact can be felt is known as the electric field.
Electric fields define the pulling or pushing force in a space between charges. The electric fields of single charges. A negative charge has an inward electric field for the reason that it attracts positive charges.
The electric field lines due to static charges, by definition, start from a positive charge or start from infinity where a positive charge is supposed to be existing and end at a negative charge.

If we have a negative charge, then its electric field lines are radially inward direction as shown in the above figure. Because electric field lines start from infinity where the positive charge is supposed to be existing and end at a negative charge.
Thus, option (B) is the correct answer.

Additional Information
Electric field lines start (or diverge) from the positive charge and terminate (or converge) on a negative charge. If the electric field lines form a closed loop, these lines must begin and end on the same charge which is not possible because electric field lines always move from positive charge to negative charge. The main reason behind the electrostatic field lines not forming a closed-loop is that no electric field line exists inside the charged body.
Hence, we say electrostatic field lines do not ever form closed loops.

Note
Electric field is not negative. It is a vector and therefore has negative and positive directions. An electron that is negatively charged experiences a force against the direction of the field. For a positive charge, the force is along the field. A measure of the strength of an electric field at a specified point in space, equal to the force the field would induce on a unit electric charge at that point.