Electric Field due to two points

[Digdug12]

Homework Statement

A point charge q_1 = -4.00 {\rm nC} is at the point x = 0.60 {\rm m}, y = 0.80 {\rm m} , and a second point charge q_2 = +6.00 {\rm nC} is at the point x = 0.60 {\rm m} , y = 0
Calculate the magnitude of the net electric field at the origin due to these two point charges.
Calculate the direction of the net electric field at the origin due to these two point charges.

Homework Equations

E=F/Q
F=k*q*q/r^2
E=(KQ1/r^2) + (KQ2/r^2)

The Attempt at a Solution

I searched the threads and I came up with one very similar to this problem, however i tried their solution and still comes out wrong. I am summing of the E fields produced by both charges, it looks like this

E=(8.99x10^9)(-4x10^-6)/1 + ((8.99x10^9)(6x10^-6)/.6^2
I get an answer around 113842 N/C, i tried different specific digits of K to get a more specific answer however they were all wrong, so i changed the sign of -4 to 4, just because, and i got 185793 N/C which is STILL wrong. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong?
and to solve for the angle, do i just use their vector components?

 

[rl.bhat]

Electric field is a vector quantity. You cannot add them directly. Find the direction of electric fields. One field due to 6.0 nC is along the -x-axis. Find the direction of the other field. Resolve it into x and y components and then find the net x and y components and find the resultant.

 

[tomcue]

I would like to point out that the equations used in the attempt at a solution are not entirely correct. The correct equation for the electric field due to a point charge is E=k*q/r^2, where k is the Coulomb's constant and q is the magnitude of the charge. Also, the net electric field at a point is the vector sum of the individual electric fields due to each charge. So, the correct equation for the net electric field at the origin would be:

Enet = E1 + E2 = k*q1/r1^2 + k*q2/r2^2

Using this equation, I calculated the net electric field to be 1.2x10^5 N/C, which is close to the first attempt at a solution. However, the direction of the net electric field cannot be determined from this calculation alone. To determine the direction, we need to find the vector components of each electric field and then add them together. The direction of the net electric field will be in the direction of this resultant vector.

As a side note, it is important to use the correct units in calculations. In this case, the charges should be in Coulombs (C) instead of nanocoulombs (nC). Also, make sure to use the correct value of the Coulomb's constant, which is 8.99x10^9 Nm^2/C^2. Using the correct units and values should give the correct answer.