What method can be used to create a uniform electric field?

To create a uniform electric field, connecting a battery to two flat metal plates is an effective and widely utilized method. When two parallel plates are connected to a battery, one plate becomes positively charged while the other becomes negatively charged. The electric field produced between these plates is uniform because the field lines are parallel and evenly spaced throughout the region between the plates.

This setup leads to a consistent electric field strength that does not vary with position between the plates, allowing for predictable behavior of charged particles placed within the field. The uniformity is a result of the geometric arrangement—parallel plates maintain constant separation and surface charge density.

In contrast, using a single metal plate would lead to an electric field that is not uniform, as most of the field lines would radiate out from the edges of the plate rather than maintaining a consistent direction and strength between two parallel surfaces. Similarly, a solenoid creates a magnetic field, not an electric field, while placing a magnet nearby generates a magnetic field as well rather than contributing to an electric field.