Electric Field Lines: Intersection & Equilibrium

[cragar]

Can we have E and B field lines from 2 different sources cross. I don't think we can because then a charged particle traveling through the field would have 2 possible paths after reaching the intersection point. But then what if we have induced E fields and other sources. But IM guessing that the overall total field will reach equilibrium and the field lines will have a nice flow.

 

[Doc Al]

I don't think we can because then a charged particle traveling through the field would have 2 possible paths after reaching the intersection point.

Why would it have 2 possible paths?

 

[cragar]

If I had 2 E field lines cross at say right angles, when I draw the field lines, If an electron came to this crossing how would it know which way to go. Which E field line would it follow if there were 2 branching out?

 

[Doc Al]

If I had 2 E field lines cross at say right angles, when I draw the field lines, If an electron came to this crossing how would it know which way to go. Which E field line would it follow if there were 2 branching out?

Ah... I misread your post. I thought you were asking about E and B lines crossing each other.

If you have multiple sources of E field, the resultant field will not have lines crossing.

 

[HallsofIvy]

The crucial word there being "resultant"- the sum of the vector fields of the different forces, not the field lines of the separate sources themselves. Those may well cross.