Fundamentals of Physics Extended (10th Edition)

Published by Wiley
ISBN 10: 1-11823-072-8
ISBN 13: 978-1-11823-072-5

Chapter 22 - Electric Fields - Questions - Page 651: 5a

Answer

To the left of the charges, there is a point where the net electric field is zero.

Work Step by Step

We can find write the general equation for the magnitude of an electric field: $E = \frac{\vert q \vert}{4\pi ~\epsilon_0~r^2}$ Note that an electric field points toward a negative charge and away from a positive charge. If we consider a point to the left of the $+q$ charge, the electric field due to the $+q$ charge will point to the left while the electric field due to the $-3q$ charge will point to the right. Although the magnitude of the $-3q$ charge is greater than the magnitude of the $+q$ charge, if the point on the axis is closer to the $+q$ charge, it is possible that the magnitudes of the electric fields could be equal. To the left of the charges, there is a point where the net electric field is zero.
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