Electric field distribution

1. Jan 24, 2005

blur_monny

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!!! :rofl:

Last edited: Jan 24, 2005
2. Jan 24, 2005

dextercioby

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.

3. Jan 24, 2005

blur_monny

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!!!!!

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4. Jan 24, 2005

stunner5000pt

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.