Electric Field with three negative point charges in a line

In summary, the net electric field at point P, located 6.00cm from a -2.00μC charge measured perpendicular to the line connecting the three charges, can be found by taking the vector sum of the individual electric fields produced by each point charge. After converting to the correct units, the net electric field is calculated to be -1.40*10^7.
  • #1
kddc
2
0

Homework Statement


Find the magnitude of the electric field this comination of charges produces at point P, which lies 6.00cm from the -2.00μC charge measured perpendicular to the line connecting the three charges.


Homework Equations


E=k[itex]\frac{Q}{r^{2}}[/itex]
F=k[itex]\frac{q_{1}q_{2}}{r^{2}}[/itex]
F=[itex]\frac{E}{q}[/itex]
k[itex]\approx9*10^{9}[/itex]

The Attempt at a Solution


Conversions to the correct units were done prior to plugging values into eqn.

To my understanding the net electric field is the sum of all electric fields from each point charge.
So I found E[itex]_{-5μC}[/itex]=-4,500,000 and the same goes for the other -5μC point charge; E[itex]_{-5μC}[/itex]=-4,500,000 , and for the -2μC point charge I got E[itex]_{-2.00μC}[/itex]= -5,000,000

For E[itex]_{-5μC}[/itex] I calculated and then plugged in [itex]\sqrt{(8cm^{2}+6cm^{2}}[/itex]≈0.1m


Results summed up to E[itex]_{-5μC}[/itex]+E[itex]_{-5μC}[/itex]+E[itex]_{-2.00μC}[/itex]=(-4.5*10[itex]^{6}[/itex])+(-4.5*10[itex]^{6}[/itex])+(-5.0*10[itex]^{6}[/itex])= -1.40*10[itex]^{7}[/itex]

The question only asked for magnitude so I'm assuming direction doesn't really matter at this point. What am I doing wrong? Please help.
 
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  • #2
kddc said:

Homework Statement


Find the magnitude of the electric field this comination of charges produces at point P, which lies 6.00cm from the -2.00μC charge measured perpendicular to the line connecting the three charges.


Homework Equations


E=k[itex]\frac{Q}{r^{2}}[/itex]
F=k[itex]\frac{q_{1}q_{2}}{r^{2}}[/itex]
F=[itex]\frac{E}{q}[/itex]
k[itex]\approx9*10^{9}[/itex]

The Attempt at a Solution


Conversions to the correct units were done prior to plugging values into eqn.

To my understanding the net electric field is the sum of all electric fields from each point charge.
So far so good.

So I found E[itex]_{-5μC}[/itex]=-4,500,000 and the same goes for the other -5μC point charge; E[itex]_{-5μC}[/itex]=-4,500,000 , and for the -2μC point charge I got E[itex]_{-2.00μC}[/itex]= -5,000,000
The electric field is a vector, and you must take the vector sum of the fields of the three charges.
 
  • #3
Thank you!


Forgot to log in after having solved it.
 

What is an electric field?

An electric field is a region in space where an electrically charged particle experiences a force. It is created by other charged particles and is represented by lines of force that point towards or away from the charged particles.

How do you calculate the electric field from three negative point charges in a line?

To calculate the electric field from three negative point charges in a line, you can use the principle of superposition. This means that you can calculate the electric field at a point by adding up the electric fields from each individual charge at that point. You can use the formula E = k*q/r^2, where E is the electric field, k is the Coulomb's constant, q is the magnitude of the charge, and r is the distance between the charge and the point.

Does the direction of the electric field depend on the sign of the charges?

Yes, the direction of the electric field does depend on the sign of the charges. For three negative point charges in a line, the electric field will point away from each individual charge, but towards the center of the line of charges. This is because the negative charges repel each other, but the overall effect is towards the center.

What happens to the electric field if one of the charges is moved?

If one of the charges is moved, the electric field will change in both magnitude and direction. The closer the charge is to the point of interest, the greater the effect on the electric field. If the charge is moved further away, the effect on the electric field will be less.

Can the electric field ever be zero for three negative point charges in a line?

Yes, the electric field can be zero for three negative point charges in a line. This occurs when the charges are placed at equal distances from each other and the point of interest. In this case, the electric fields from each charge will cancel each other out, resulting in a net electric field of zero at the point of interest.

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