If the distance from a point charge is doubled, the electric field becomes which of the following relative to its original value?

If the distance from a point charge is doubled, the electric field becomes which of the following relative to its original value?

• A. It doubles
• B. It halves
• C. It remains the same
• D. It becomes one-quarter

Answer: (D)

The electric field from a point charge follows an inverse-square law, meaning its strength goes as 1 over the distance squared: E = kq / r^2. If you double the distance to 2r, the field becomes E' = kq / (2r)^2 = kq / (4r^2) = (1/4) E. So the field is reduced to one-quarter of its original value. It doesn’t double, halve, or stay the same because those outcomes would require different distance dependencies (linear or constant).

The electric field from a point charge follows an inverse-square law, meaning its strength goes as 1 over the distance squared: E = kq / r^2. If you double the distance to 2r, the field becomes E' = kq / (2r)^2 = kq / (4r^2) = (1/4) E. So the field is reduced to one-quarter of its original value. It doesn’t double, halve, or stay the same because those outcomes would require different distance dependencies (linear or constant).