Finding Charge at a Specific Point Using Coulomb's Law

In summary, the conversation was about finding the electric field at a given point due to a point charge located at another point. The conversation included the use of Coulomb's Law and mathematical simplification to find the final answer. The person asking the question also made a mistake in the coordinates, but it was resolved in the end.
  • #1
Roodles01
128
0
I am working on the following.
A point charge of √3Q is at point (3a, a, 2a)
Find charge at (2a, 2a, 3a)

I'm using Coulomb's Law
E(r) = q / 4∏ε0 (r-r0)3 (lr-r0l
& can get through most of it, but looking at my book I can't see why the last step occurs. See attachment.
I can find r-ro & its magnitude lr-r0l as well, so can sub into the equation.

r = (2a, 2a, 3a)
r0 = (2a, 2a, 3a)
r-r0 = (-a, a, a)
lr-r0l = √ -1)2 +1)2 +1)2 = √3

E(r) = √3q / 4∏ε0 (3a)3 (-a, a, a)
Then the answer is
E(r) = q / 4∏ε0 (√3)2 (-?a, ?a, ?a) How do you change this, mathematically, from the line above?

Can't see the wood for trees again, I expect, but I need a bit of a memory jog, please.
 

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  • #2
Hmm :confused:

Roodles01 said:
I am working on the following.
A point charge of √3Q is at point (3a, a, 2a)
Find charge at (2a, 2a, 3a)

There is no such thing as charge at (2a, 2a, 3a) due to (3a, a, 2a) From the question in the attachment, you're probably trying to find out the electric field at that point.

r = (2a, 2a, 3a)
r0 = (2a, 2a, 3a)
r-r0 = (-a, a, a)

These don't tally with the given values in the link, so probably this is a different question?

E(r) = √3q / 4∏ε0 (3a)3 (-a, a, a)
Then the answer is
E(r) = q / 4∏ε0 (√3)2 (-?a, ?a, ?a) How do you change this, mathematically, from the line above?

Just mathematical simplification. As for the attachment case, they simply divided it by 9 that was outside the (bracket).
 
  • #3
Yes, you're competely right, it was the field strength I meant. Again, yes, the cartesian coords. were mixed from another question as I'm going through similar examples & inserted them by mistake.
The attachment was as a solved example, & the solution you gave was for an "I've stopped thinking" moment.
All fine now. Thank you.
 

FAQ: Finding Charge at a Specific Point Using Coulomb's Law

What is Coulomb's Law?

Coulomb's Law is a fundamental law in electrostatics that describes the force between two charged particles. It states that the force between two charged particles is directly proportional to the product of their charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

How is Coulomb's Law calculated?

Coulomb's Law can be calculated using the equation F = k(q1q2)/r^2, where F is the force between the two charges, q1 and q2 are the magnitudes of the charges, r is the distance between them, and k is the Coulomb's constant.

What is the unit of Coulomb's constant?

The unit of Coulomb's constant, k, is Nm^2/C^2, where N is newton, m is meter, and C is coulomb. It is a proportionality constant that determines the strength of the electrostatic force between two charged particles.

What is the significance of Coulomb's constant?

Coulomb's constant is a fundamental constant in electrostatics that helps us understand and calculate the force between two charged particles. It also helps us compare the strength of different electrostatic forces and determine how they are affected by changes in distance and charge.

How is Coulomb's Law related to Newton's Law of Gravitation?

Both Coulomb's Law and Newton's Law of Gravitation involve the force between two objects, but they apply to different types of forces. Coulomb's Law applies to electrostatic forces between charged particles, while Newton's Law of Gravitation applies to gravitational forces between masses. However, both laws have a similar mathematical form and follow the inverse-square relationship.

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