---
title: "An isolated point charge is fixed at the origin in an otherwise empty region of space. The graph shows the electric potential \\(V\\) as a function of the distance \\(r\\) from the origin, with \\(V = 0\\) defined at infinity. Which of the following statements correctly identifies the sign of the charge and the direction of the electric field it produces?"
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url: "https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/121061/"
date_modified: "2026-08-23T04:57:40+00:00"
---

# An isolated point charge is fixed at the origin in an otherwise empty region of space. The graph shows the electric potential \(V\) as a function of the distance \(r\) from the origin, with \(V = 0\) defined at infinity. Which of the following statements correctly identifies the sign of the charge and the direction of the electric field it produces?

An isolated point charge is fixed at the origin in an otherwise empty region of space. The graph shows the electric potential \(V\) as a function of the distance \(r\) from the origin, with \(V = 0\) defined at infinity. Which of the following statements correctly identifies the sign of the charge and the direction of the electric field it produces?

![A Cartesian graph with bare axes showing only the fourth quadrant. The horizontal axis is labeled r and extends to the right. The vertical axis is labeled V and extends downward below the horizontal axis, with the origin at the upper-left labeled 0. A single smooth solid black curve lies entirely below the horizontal axis in the region r > 0. The curve starts at a large negative value of V near r = 0, rises smoothly with decreasing steepness (concave downward), and asymptotically approaches the horizontal r-axis from below as r increases. No gridlines, tick marks, numbers, or other labels appear.](https://nerd-notes.com/wp-content/uploads/ubq-frq-generated/stem-fig-1-1787461060-7SCG5L.jpg)

- **A.** The source charge is positive because the potential increases as \(r\) increases, and the electric field points radially outward.
- **B.** The source charge is negative because the potential is negative everywhere, and the electric field points radially inward toward the origin.
- **C.** The source charge is negative because the potential is negative everywhere, and the electric field points radially outward away from the origin.
- **D.** The source charge is positive because the potential approaches zero as \(r \to \infty\), and the electric field points radially inward toward the origin.

*The answer key and step-by-step explanation are available to logged-in users at https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/121061/*