Electric Field

Calculations
1. What is the magnitude of the electric field 𝑬 at a
field point 2.0 m from a point charge q = 4.0 nC?
|𝑞|
𝐸=𝑘 2
𝑟
−9
9 2 2
|4.0 𝑥 10 𝐶|
𝐸 = 9 𝑥 10 𝑁𝑚 /𝐶
(2.0 𝑚)2
𝐸 = 9.0 𝑁/𝐶
2. A positive 2.00nC point charge is located at the origin, and a
negative charge -5.00 nC point charge is on the x-axis x = 0.800
m. What is the electric field at a point located at x = 0.200 m?
Set up:
𝑦

𝑞1 = 2.00 𝑛𝐶 𝐸1 𝑞2 = −5.00 𝑛𝐶
+ - 𝑥
0.2 𝑚 𝐸2

0.8 𝑚
2. A positive 2.00nC point charge is located at the origin, and a negative charge -5.00 nC point charge is
on the x-axis x = 0.800 m. What is the electric field at a point located at x = 0.200 m?

Solution:
𝐸 = 𝐸1 + 𝐸2
−9
|𝑞1 | |2.0 𝑥 10 𝐶|
𝐸1 = 𝑘 2 𝐸1 = 9 𝑥 109 𝑁𝑚2 /𝐶 2
𝑟 (0.2 𝑚)2

𝐸1 = 450 𝑁/𝐶 𝐸1 = (450 𝑁/𝐶)𝑖Ƹ

2. A positive 2.00nC point charge is located at the origin, and a negative charge -5.00 nC point charge is
on the x-axis x = 0.800 m. What is the electric field at a point located at x = 0.200 m?

Solution:
𝐸 = 𝐸1 + 𝐸2
−9
|𝑞2 | | − 5.0 𝑥 10 𝐶|
𝐸2 = 𝑘 2 𝐸2 = 9 𝑥 109 𝑁𝑚2 /𝐶 2
𝑟 (0.6 𝑚)2

𝐸2 = 125 𝑁/𝐶 𝐸2 = (125 𝑁/𝐶)𝑖Ƹ

2. A positive 2.00nC point charge is located at the origin, and a negative charge -5.00 nC point charge is
on the x-axis x = 0.800 m. What is the electric field at a point located at x = 0.200 m?

Solution:

𝐸 = 𝐸1 + 𝐸2
𝐸 = (450 𝑁/𝐶)𝑖Ƹ + (125 𝑁/𝐶)𝑖Ƹ
𝐸 = (575 𝑁/𝐶)𝑖Ƹ
3. Three negative point charges lie along a line as shown in the
figure. Find the magnitude and direction (in unit vectors) of
the electric field this combination of charges produces at
point 𝑃 which lies 6.00 cm from the −2.00 𝜇𝐶 charge measured
perpendicular to the line connecting the three charges.
𝑦
Set up: 𝑃
𝐸1 𝐸3

𝐸2 6.0 𝑐𝑚

𝑞1 = −5.00 𝜇𝐶 𝑞3 = −5.00 𝜇𝐶
𝑞2 = −2.00 𝜇𝐶
- - - 𝑥
8.0 𝑐𝑚 8.0 𝑐𝑚
3. Three negative point charges lie along a line as shown in the figure. Find the magnitude and direction (in unit
vectors) of the electric field this combination of charges produces at point 𝑃 which lies 6.00 cm from the
− 2.00 𝜇𝐶 charge measured perpendicular to the line connecting the three charges.

Solution: 𝑟=? 𝑟=?

𝐸 = 𝐸1 + 𝐸2 + 𝐸3
|𝑞1 | 𝑟 2 = 𝑎2 +𝑏 2
𝐸1 = 𝑘 2
𝑟 −6
𝑟 2 = (6.0 𝑐𝑚)2 +(8.0 𝑐𝑚)2
9 2 2
| − 5.0 𝑥 10 𝐶| 𝑟 = 10.0 𝑐𝑚 𝑜𝑟 0.10 𝑚
𝐸1 = 9 𝑥 10 𝑁𝑚 /𝐶
(0.10 𝑚)2
𝐸1 = 4.5 𝑥 106 𝑁/𝐶 = 𝐸3
3. Three negative point charges lie along a line as shown in the figure. Find the magnitude and direction (in unit
vectors) of the electric field this combination of charges produces at point 𝑃 which lies 6.00 cm from the
− 2.00 𝜇𝐶 charge measured perpendicular to the line connecting the three charges.

Solution: 𝑟=? 𝑟=?

𝐸 = 𝐸1 + 𝐸2 + 𝐸3
|𝑞2 |
𝐸2 = 𝑘 2
𝑟 −6
9 2 2
| − 2.0 𝑥 10 𝐶|
𝐸2 = 9 𝑥 10 𝑁𝑚 /𝐶
(0.06 𝑚)2
𝐸2 = 5.0 𝑥 106 𝑁/𝐶
 𝑜𝑝𝑝
𝜃 = 𝑡𝑎𝑛−l ( )
𝜃3 𝑎𝑑𝑗
𝑦
𝜃1 𝜃3 = 270° + 53.13° = 323.13° 8.0 𝑐𝑚
𝜃1 = 270° − 53.13° = 216.87° 𝜃= 𝑡𝑎𝑛−l ( )
6.0 𝑐𝑚
𝜃2
𝜃 = 53.13°
𝜃 𝜃
𝐸1 𝐸3
𝜃2 = 270° 𝐸2 6.0 𝑐𝑚

- - - 𝑥
8.0 𝑐𝑚 8.0 𝑐𝑚
 Magnitude 𝜽 x-component y-component
𝐸1𝑥 = 𝐸1 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜃 𝐸1𝑦 = 𝐸1 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃
6
𝐸1 = 4.5 𝑥 10 𝑁/𝐶 216.87° = 4.5 𝑥 106 𝑁/𝐶 cos 216.87° = 4.5 𝑥 106 𝑁/𝐶 sin 216.87°
= −3.6 𝑥 106 𝑁/𝐶 = −2.7 𝑥 106 𝑁/𝐶
𝐸2𝑥 = 𝐸2 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜃 𝐸2𝑦 = 𝐸2 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃
6
𝐸2 = 5.0 𝑥 10 𝑁/𝐶 270° = 5.0 𝑥 106 𝑁/𝐶 cos 270° = 5.0 𝑥 106 𝑁/𝐶 sin 270°
= 0 𝑁/𝐶 = −5.0 𝑥 106 𝑁/𝐶
𝐸3𝑥 = 𝐸3 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜃 𝐸3𝑦 = 𝐸3 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃
𝐸3 = 4.5 𝑥 106 𝑁/𝐶 323.13° = 4.5 𝑥 106 𝑁/𝐶 cos 323.13° = 4.5 𝑥 106 𝑁/𝐶 sin 323.13°
= 3.6 𝑥 106 𝑁/𝐶 = −2.7 𝑥 106 𝑁/𝐶

𝐸𝑥 = 0 𝑁/𝐶 𝐸𝑦 = −1.04 𝑥 107 𝑁/𝐶

Since 𝐸𝑥 = 0 𝑁/𝐶, this means that our 𝐸 only has a y-component (𝑗).
Ƹ Therefore,

𝐸 = −1.04 𝑥 107 𝑁/𝐶 𝑗Ƹ