Drawing Electric Fields: Positive & Negative Charges

[physicsqanda]

How do I draw the electric field for this?

Draw the electric field for a positive and negative point charge positioned 5 cm from each
other. Do the same for two negative charges the same distance apart and finally two positive
charges the same distance apart.

 

[barryj]

Tell us a little about what you know about the problem.

 

[physicsqanda]

i have to make a diagram or chart of a few of these sequences that shows the relationship between the electric fields using rays and pointing towards or from the charge in each of the problems

 

[barryj]

Here are a few hint questions.
What is the direction of the electric field from a positive and negative charge?
How do you find the value of the electric field a distance from a charge.
Since the fields from the charges have magnitude and direction, try doing a vector addition.
Do this for a few points and you will see the general direction of the field lines.

 

[Nickie]

To draw the electric field for this scenario, you will need to first understand the concept of electric field lines. Electric field lines are imaginary lines that represent the direction and strength of the electric field at different points in space.

For a positive point charge, the electric field lines radiate outwards in all directions, indicating that the electric field is pointing away from the charge. The closer the field lines are to each other, the stronger the electric field is at that point. To draw this, you can start with a point in the center to represent the positive charge and draw the electric field lines radiating outwards.

For a negative point charge, the electric field lines will point inwards towards the charge, indicating that the electric field is directed towards the charge. Again, the closer the field lines are, the stronger the electric field is at that point. To draw this, you can start with a point in the center to represent the negative charge and draw the electric field lines pointing inwards towards the charge.

For two charges of opposite sign (positive and negative) positioned 5 cm apart, the electric field lines will be directed from the positive charge towards the negative charge. The field lines will be closer together near the charges and will become further apart as they move away from the charges. This represents the decrease in strength of the electric field as you move further away from the charges.

For two charges of the same sign (negative and negative or positive and positive) positioned 5 cm apart, the electric field lines will be directed away from each other. This indicates that the electric field is repelling itself, as like charges repel each other. The field lines will be closer together near the charges and will become further apart as they move away from the charges.

In summary, to draw the electric field for this scenario, you will need to draw the appropriate field lines based on the type and positioning of the charges. Remember to keep in mind the direction and strength of the electric field at different points in space.