A field-line sketch is to be drawn for two fixed point charges a few centimetres…

PHYSICS · Subjective · Fermi University Physics · Electricity, Magnetism & Electromagnetism · Electrostatic fields and potential · Electrostatic fields and potential

Electricity, Magnetism and Electromagnetism, Ch Electric charge, Coulomb's law and the electric field

Problem

A field-line sketch is to be drawn for two fixed point charges a few centimetres apart in otherwise empty space:

q_A = +2.0\,\mathrm{nC}

and

q_B = -6.0\,\mathrm{nC}

. The convention is that the number of lines drawn on a charge is proportional to the magnitude of that charge, with

5

lines per nanocoulomb. (a) How many lines leave

q_A

? (b) How many lines enter

q_B

? (c) How many of the lines that leave

q_A

end on

q_B

? (d) How many lines must come in from far away to end on

q_B

? (e) Sketch the pattern with these counts: arrows on the lines, the lines from

q_A

q_B

, the lines arriving from far away, and no crossings. The exact curves need not be accurate.

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