Total Electric Field Due to Two Charges

June 21, 2020

 What’s it about?

1 how to calculate Coulomb force for a single charged object due to another charge.
2 how to calculate Coulomb force for multiple charged object.
3 how to calculate Electric Field at some point p for a single charged object

~ s (p) = k qs r̂
E (1)
r2
 System set up

(1) We have two charges q1 and q2 on the x axis. Their

separation is d m.
 System set up

(1) We have two charges q1 and q2 on the x axis. Their

separation is d m.
(2) We choose the y axis to be placed in the middle of
those two charges.
 System set up

(1) We have two charges q1 and q2 on the x axis. Their

separation is d m.
(2) We choose the y axis to be placed in the middle of
those two charges.
(3) This gives q1 the coordinate of (− d2 , 0) and for q2
it’s ( d2 , 0).
 System set up

(1) We have two charges q1 and q2 on the x axis. Their

separation is d m.
(2) We choose the y axis to be placed in the middle of
those two charges.
(3) This gives q1 the coordinate of (− d2 , 0) and for q2
it’s ( d2 , 0).
(4) We choose a random point p with coordinate (x , y )
 System set up

(1) We have two charges q1 and q2 on the x axis. Their

separation is d m.
(2) We choose the y axis to be placed in the middle of
those two charges.
(3) This gives q1 the coordinate of (− d2 , 0) and for q2
it’s ( d2 , 0).
(4) We choose a random point p with coordinate (x , y )
(5) Distance from q1 to p is r1
 System set up

(1) We have two charges q1 and q2 on the x axis. Their

separation is d m.
(2) We choose the y axis to be placed in the middle of
those two charges.
(3) This gives q1 the coordinate of (− d2 , 0) and for q2
it’s ( d2 , 0).
(4) We choose a random point p with coordinate (x , y )
(5) Distance from q1 to p is r1
(6) and from q2 to p is r2
 System set up

(1) We have two charges q1 and q2 on the x axis. Their

separation is d m.
(2) We choose the y axis to be placed in the middle of
those two charges.
(3) This gives q1 the coordinate of (− d2 , 0) and for q2
it’s ( d2 , 0).
(4) We choose a random point p with coordinate (x , y )
(5) Distance from q1 to p is r1
(6) and from q2 to p is r2
(7) Unit vector from q1 to p is r̂1 and from q2 to p is r̂2
 System set up

(1) We have two charges q1 and q2 on the x axis. Their

separation is d m.
(2) We choose the y axis to be placed in the middle of
those two charges.
(3) This gives q1 the coordinate of (− d2 , 0) and for q2
it’s ( d2 , 0).
(4) We choose a random point p with coordinate (x , y )
(5) Distance from q1 to p is r1
(6) and from q2 to p is r2
(7) Unit vector from q1 to p is r̂1 and from q2 to p is r̂2
d
(8) x distance from q1 to p is a = x − 2
 System set up

(1) We have two charges q1 and q2 on the x axis. Their

separation is d m.
(2) We choose the y axis to be placed in the middle of
those two charges.
(3) This gives q1 the coordinate of (− d2 , 0) and for q2
it’s ( d2 , 0).
(4) We choose a random point p with coordinate (x , y )
(5) Distance from q1 to p is r1
(6) and from q2 to p is r2
(7) Unit vector from q1 to p is r̂1 and from q2 to p is r̂2
d
(8) x distance from q1 to p is a = x − 2
d
(9) x distance from q1 to p is b = x + 2
 Finally it Looks Like...

Figure: Electric Field at p due to two charges q1 and q2 .

 Finding r1 and r2

(1) Using Pythagorean Theorem, we find that

d
a=x− (2)
2
r
p d 2
r1 = a2 + y 2 = (x − ) + y2 (3)
2
 Finding r1 and r2

(1) Using Pythagorean Theorem, we find that

d
a=x− (2)
2
r
p d 2
r1 = a2 + y 2 = (x − ) + y2 (3)
2

(2) And we find that

d
b=x+ (4)
2
r
p d 2
r2 = b2 + y 2 = (x + ) + y2 (5)
2
 Finding r̂1 and r̂2

(1) Using some Trigonometry, we find that

r̂1 = − cos θ1 î + sin θ1 ĵ (6)

a y
= − î + ĵ (7)
r1 r1
−(x − d2 )î + y ĵ
= (8)
r1
 Finding r̂1 and r̂2

(1) Using some Trigonometry, we find that

r̂1 = − cos θ1 î + sin θ1 ĵ (6)

a y
= − î + ĵ (7)
r1 r1
−(x − d2 )î + y ĵ
= (8)
r1

(2) And we find that

r̂2 = − cos θ2 î + sin θ2 ĵ (9)

b y
= − î + ĵ (10)
r2 r2
−(x + d2 )î + y ĵ
= (11)
r2
 Listing what we know

r
p d 2
r1 = a2 + y 2 = (x − ) + y2 (12)
2
−(x − d2 )î + y ĵ
r̂1 = (13)
r1
r
p d 2
r2 = b2 + y 2 = (x + ) + y2 (14)
2
−(x + d2 )î + y ĵ
r̂2 = (15)
r2
 Electric Fields

Electric Field at point p,

~ 1 (p) = kq1 r̂1

E (16)
r12
~ 2 (p) = kq2 r̂2
E (17)
r22

Therefore, total electric field,

~ (p) = E
E ~ 1 (p) + E
~ 2 (p) (18)
 
r̂1 r̂2
=k q1 + q2 2 (19)
r12 r2
−(x − d2 )î + y ĵ −(x + d2 )î + y ĵ
 
=k q1 + q2 (20)
((x − d2 )2 + y 2 )3/2 ((x + d2 )2 + y 2 )3/2
 Limiting Case

If d = 0 then q1 and q2 are together and the last equation should give us a sensible result,
 
~ (p) = k −(x − 0)î + y ĵ −(x + 0)î + y ĵ
E q1 + q2 (21)
((x − 0)2 + y 2 )3/2 ((x + 0)2 + y 2 )3/2
 
−x î + y ĵ −x î + y ĵ
=k q1 + q2 2 (22)
(x 2 + y 2 )3/2 (x + y 2 )3/2
 
−x î + y ĵ
= k(q1 + q2 ) (23)
(x 2 + y 2 )3/2
R̂
= kQ (24)
R 3/2

Where, Q is the total charge.