Two point charges, +q and -q, are placed a distance d apart. What is the electric field at the midpoint between the charges?
Practice Questions
1 question
Q1
Two point charges, +q and -q, are placed a distance d apart. What is the electric field at the midpoint between the charges?
0
k * q / (d/2)^2
k * q / d^2
k * q / (d^2) * 2
At the midpoint, the electric fields due to both charges cancel each other out, resulting in a net electric field of 0.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
1 item
Q
Q: Two point charges, +q and -q, are placed a distance d apart. What is the electric field at the midpoint between the charges?
Solution: At the midpoint, the electric fields due to both charges cancel each other out, resulting in a net electric field of 0.
Steps: 8
Step 1: Identify the two point charges: one is +q (positive) and the other is -q (negative).
Step 2: Determine the distance between the two charges, which is given as d.
Step 3: Find the midpoint between the two charges. This is located at a distance of d/2 from each charge.
Step 4: Calculate the electric field created by the positive charge (+q) at the midpoint. The electric field points away from the positive charge.
Step 5: Calculate the electric field created by the negative charge (-q) at the midpoint. The electric field points towards the negative charge.
Step 6: Since the midpoint is equidistant from both charges, the magnitudes of the electric fields from both charges are equal.
Step 7: Because the electric field from +q points in one direction and the electric field from -q points in the opposite direction, they cancel each other out.
Step 8: Conclude that the net electric field at the midpoint is 0.
