Question

Why does electric field lines bend at the end of parallel plate capacitor?

Answer 1

Answer:

In a static charge distribuition, electric field is conservative. As the electric field along the axis perpendicular to the plates decreases as we go far from center, the field parallel toplate will try to cancel this effect to keep thefield conservative. Hence the bending.

Answer 2

$\huge{\boxed{\boxed{\mathfrak{\red{Answer}}}}}$

This is called the “fringe effect”. To move a charge from one plate to the other plate work needs to be done as there is a potential difference between the plates.

As the electric field is conservative the amount work done is independent of the path taken. If there was no electric field in the volume outside the parallel plate arrangement then no work would be needed to move a charge from one plate to the other via a path exclusively outside which means that there there must be an electric field outside the parallel plate arrangement.