Understanding Electric Field Distribution in Various Charge Configurations

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around understanding electric field distribution in various charge configurations, specifically point charges, line charges, surface charges, and volume charges. The original poster seeks guidance on creating a visualization tool in MATLAB to display these electric fields and their interactions.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the concept of electric field distribution and the methods for visualizing electric fields. Questions are raised about the process of adding electric fields from different charge types and the techniques for drawing electric field lines in MATLAB.

Discussion Status

Some participants have offered insights into the mathematical principles involved, such as the need to integrate vector components for line charges and the application of Gauss's Law for surface charges. There is an ongoing exploration of how to effectively visualize these concepts in MATLAB, with no clear consensus yet on the best approach.

Contextual Notes

Participants are navigating the complexities of charge interactions and the limitations of their current understanding of electric field visualization techniques. There are indications of confusion regarding the definitions of "distribution" and "visualizing" electric fields.

blur_monny
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hi,
i'm having problem to understand th electric field distribution. I have to produce a visualization tools to display the electric field due to point charges, line charges, surface charges and volume charges which are interact with each other using Matlab. So anyone have any idea how to do it?

is it just adding the electric fields due to point charges,line charges, surface charges and volume charges together?

HELP! :smile:
 
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blur_monny said:
hi,
i'm having problem to understand th electric field distribution. I have to produce a visualization tools to display the electric field due to point charges, line charges, surface charges and volume charges which are interact with each other using Matlab. So anyone have any idea how to do it?

is it just adding the electric fields due to point charges,line charges, surface charges and volume charges together?

HELP! :smile:

What do you mean by "distribution"??WWwwhat about "visualizing"??YYYou mean you can't draw electric field lines??Basically for every shape of the "source" you can find the electric field and therefore draw the electric field vectors tangent to the field lines...

Daniel.
 
dextercioby said:
What do you mean by "distribution"??WWwwhat about "visualizing"??YYYou mean you can't draw electric field lines??Basically for every shape of the "source" you can find the electric field and therefore draw the electric field vectors tangent to the field lines...

Daniel.

so, do u have any idea how to draw the electric field line as shown in th eattachment using MATLAB command? For example, I'm going to insert a point charge, a line charge and a surface charge, how can all these charges interact with each other?

i had tried to used 'quiver' but the result shown is not too gd?i'm wondering do i need to enclosed the electriec field potentiol formula to produce the line??

help!

:confused:
 

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If you talk about line charges then the electric field is the sum of all the vector components in the X and Y direction. You'll have to integrate (sum up all the little distributions) to solve suhc kind of questions. You will have to use linear charge density in these kind of questions.

FOr surfaces such as spheres the electric field (by Gauss' Law) is liek that of a point charge.

For things a little more complex than that such as cylinders, cones(argh!), and so on you have to use Gauss Law and understand that the charge is distribtued evenly over the surface and it is only on the outer surface of the shape in question. Thus there is NO electric field inside an object such a cylinder or a sphere or blah blah blah.

Oh and the electric field always points perpendicular to the surface.

Hoe you found this helpful.
 

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