Why Can't You Add Fields Component-Wise for a Dipole?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on calculating the electric field produced by a dipole consisting of two charged particles, -q and q, each with a charge of 3.20 x 10-19C, positioned 3 m from the y-axis. The user initially attempted to compute the electric field at point P (y=4 m) by summing the components separately, which led to an incorrect result due to using the wrong distance in calculations. Ultimately, the user resolved the issue by correctly applying the dipole equation and adjusting the distance used in their calculations.

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[SOLVED] Electric Field due to a Dipole

Homework Statement


The figure shows two charged particles on an x axis: -q=[itex]-3.20(10^{-19})C[/itex] and q=q=[itex]3.20(10^{-19})C[/itex]. They are both a horizontal distance of 3 m from the y axis. What are the magnitude and direction of the net electric field produced at P at y=4 m?

Picture11.png


Okay. So I know I can use the Dipole equation for this, but I had originally tried placing a test charge at P and adding the fields component wise.

I got the wrong answer and I was just wondering why you cannot take this approach?

This is what I had tried:
[tex]E_{px}=\sum E_x=k[\frac{-|q_1|-|q_2|}{d^2}](\frac{3}{5})=-3.836(10^{-10})[/tex]

And
[tex]E_{py}=\sum E_y=k[\frac{-|q_1|+|q_2|}{d^2}](\frac{4}{5})=0[/tex]
 
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Nevermind. This works! I was using the wrong d!
 

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