Electric field and electric potential for point charges problem

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on calculating the electric field and electric potential at the origin due to two point charges of 1.80 µC located at +/- 0.800 m from the origin. The relevant equations used are E = KQ/r² for electric field and V = KQ/r for electric potential. The user attempted to compute the total electric field by summing the contributions from both charges but struggled with the implications of the test charge located at the origin. It was clarified that the test charge does not affect the calculations for the electric field and potential due to the two 1.80 µC charges.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Coulomb's Law and electric forces
  • Familiarity with the concepts of electric field and electric potential
  • Knowledge of the constants involved, specifically the electrostatic constant K
  • Basic algebra skills for manipulating equations
NEXT STEPS
  • Review the derivation and application of Coulomb's Law
  • Study the concept of superposition in electric fields
  • Learn about the implications of point charges in electrostatics
  • Explore the relationship between electric field and electric potential in depth
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Students studying electromagnetism, physics educators, and anyone interested in understanding electric fields and potentials in electrostatics.

sbeal
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Homework Statement


Given two 1.80 µC charges at +/- 0.800 m from the origin and a positive test charge q = 1.30x10-18 C at the origin. What is the electric field at the origin due to the two 1.80 µC charges? What is the electrical potential at the origin due to the two 1.80 µC charges? related equations
E=KQ/r^2 electric field
V=KQ/r electric potential

The Attempt at a Solution


So for the electric field i tried plugging in 1.8E-6 C for Q and .8^2 for r then i added it to the same calculation only using -.8^2 in the second part. I am assumming that adding them both up would get the total electric field at the origin. I don't know how the charge at the origin comes into play because the radius is zero at the origin.
I ran into the same issue when trying to calculate the electric potential.:confused:
 
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the question asked for the field and the potential due to the 2 1.8 \mu C charges, so you can ignore the other one.
 
can i ask a question?
i'm not finding how to start a thread.
i want to write a story about a star system that has no electro-magnetism.
can anybody enlighten me on what would be necessary for that to come about? (Theorectically)
cheers
 

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