How to draw electric field around neutral object, dipole, and charged object

[yalublutebya]

Homework Statement

I'm working on a homework problem which requires me to roughly sketch electric field lines. The object on the left is neutral and grounded, the object on the right was just struck by lightning (and therefore very negatively charged) and I assume that the neutral object in the middle should now be polarized with + to the right and - to the left.

Homework Equations

None.

The Attempt at a Solution

I know that the negatively charged object will have lots of lines pointing towards it (including a few from the positive half of the dipole), and I assume that the dipole should be drawn with a line or two going from its positive side towards it's negative side, but I am unsure what happens around the neutral object on the left. Should there be any lines from the dipole to (or from) the neutral object? Or from the negative object on the right? Each of the objects are conductors, if that makes a difference.

 

[Kaizer6]

The neutral object is likea grounding plane. this means that the field lines will end on it.

 

[thomate1]

I can provide some guidance on how to draw the electric field around these objects. First, it is important to understand the concept of electric field lines. These lines represent the direction and strength of the electric field at different points in space. They start from positive charges and end at negative charges. In the case of a neutral object, there are no net charges, so there will be no electric field lines coming from or going towards it.

For the negatively charged object on the right, as you correctly stated, there will be many electric field lines pointing towards it. These lines will be closer together near the object, indicating a stronger electric field, and will spread out as they move away from the object, indicating a weaker electric field.

For the dipole in the middle, there will be a few electric field lines going from the positive side towards the negative side. These lines will curve around the dipole, with more lines closer to the dipole and fewer lines as they move away. The neutral object on the left will not have any direct impact on the electric field in this scenario, so there will be no lines connecting it to the dipole or the negatively charged object.

It is also important to note that the electric field lines should never cross each other. If they do, it means that the electric field is pointing in more than one direction at a single point, which is not possible.

In summary, to draw the electric field around these objects, you should start by drawing the electric field lines for the negatively charged object, then add a few lines between the positive and negative sides of the dipole, and finally, leave the neutral object without any electric field lines. Remember to keep the lines evenly spaced and to avoid crossing them. I hope this helps with your homework problem. Good luck!