- #1
rakeru
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Homework Statement
The question wasn't really written down. It was a question asked after an explanation, and it really wasn't straightforward. I'm going to try to make it into a intelligible thing.
If there is a +3 charge and a -1 charge at a distance from one another, where to the right of these two charges would there be a point where the total electric field is zero?
+3 ---------- -1 ----------- P
Homework Equations
E=Qk/r^2
The Attempt at a Solution
I'm not sure if I did the right things but this is what I did:
I named the distance from +3 to P r1 and the distance from -1 to P r2.
If the total electric field must be zero, then I think that the electric field due to +3 must be equal but opposite to the one due to -1. Maybe?
So I put it like this:
E1=-E2
Q1K/r1^2 = -Q2K/r2^2
I canceled out the K.
And for Q1 I put the +3 charge. For Q2 I put the -1 charge.
(r2^2)*3=r1^2
r2=√(r1^2/3)
The question didn't ask from where would the distance be measured, so I picked from the -1 charge.
Would this be right?? Is Q only the magnitude?? Thank you!