Electric field due to a charged particle at a random point in space

[Lukasz]

Can we calculate the electric field at any given point in space even if there are no charged particles there? The equation for electric field given in a standard EM course is kqq0/q0r^2 where q0 is a test charged impacted by the electric field. How about just any point in space?

 

[jtbell]

The equation for electric field given in a standard EM course is kqq0/q0r^2 where q0 is a test charged impacted by the electric field.

No, that's the equation for the electric force acting on q₀.

The electric field produced by the source charge q, at the location of q₀, is E = kq/r², regardless of whether q₀ is actually at that location or not.

When you put q₀ at that location, it experiences a force F = q₀E.

 

[Lukasz]

I think I posted an equation for an electric field as I included q0 in both nominator and denominator, and thanks for explaining, I thought so.

 

[jtbell]

Oops, I saw the q₀ in the numerator but missed the one in the denominator.

 

[sardar]

I can say that the electric field at any given point in space can be calculated even if there are no charged particles present. This is because the electric field is a property of the space itself, and it is not dependent on the presence of charged particles.

The equation for electric field, given as kqq0/q0r^2, is a simplified version that is commonly used in standard electromagnetic courses. This equation assumes that the test charge q0 is the only source of the electric field. However, in reality, the electric field at any point in space is influenced by all the charged particles in its surroundings.

To calculate the electric field at a random point in space, we need to take into account the contributions from all the charged particles present in the vicinity. This can be done using the principle of superposition, which states that the total electric field at a point is the vector sum of the individual electric fields due to each charged particle.

In summary, we can calculate the electric field at any given point in space using the principle of superposition, even if there are no charged particles present at that specific point. The equation kqq0/q0r^2 is a simplified version that assumes a single source of the electric field, but in reality, the electric field is influenced by all the charged particles in its surroundings.