Understanding the Components of Electric Charge Equation

[tchounkovskii]

Homework Statement

The question lies in the equation, I do not understand where the SQRT of 3Q or the 2L^2 is coming from?

Can somebody help me with this? The professor kinda breezed by this but I cannot find a valid explanation anywhere!

Thanks in advance!

 

[nickjer]

It looks like they are breaking the electric field vector into its x and y components. Knowing a little bit of trig you get cos(30) = sqrt(3)/2 and sin(30) = 1/2.

 

[tchounkovskii]

oh ok, see...i didn't take trig in HS :( I should have known better..oh well. thanks for the help.