Hi and point charge vector question

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around a question related to point charges and their representation in a diagram. The original poster seeks clarification on the reasoning behind the reduction of charge values in a given context.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the strategy behind reducing charge values, with some suggesting it may relate to simplifying the problem for easier computation. Others question whether the changes in charge values were merely cosmetic adjustments to the existing diagram.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants sharing their interpretations of the charge reductions and the implications for the overall problem. There is a recognition of simplification as a potential strategy, but no consensus has been reached on the exact reasoning behind the changes.

Contextual Notes

Participants note that the original diagram was altered without a complete redraw, which may affect the clarity of the problem setup.

Jim Newt
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Hi all this is my first post. This looks like a great forum and hopefully I can contribute in some way to the discussion. I have a question about JPEG I attached; hopefully you all can see it.

What is the strategy for "reducing the charges"? For instance, why is -3q reduced to -2q and -2q reduced to -q etc.? Any advice would be helpful. Thanks,

Jim
 

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    1.JPG
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Looks to me that someone wanted to create a new problem (with different charges) without redoing the diagram. They just crossed out the old charges and wrote in the new charges. The fields from the three non-zero charges are labeled E1, E2, & E3.
 
I think they simplified the problem by removing some charges, which cancel out to 0. It just makes it easier to compute.
 
Thanks for the input. Like awvvu said, it was just a simplification of the problem that made it easier to solve.
 

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