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Re: [Phys-l] Electric Field due to Line of Charge



Here's a gif animation designed to help students visualize how the
elements of charge making up a line of charge contribute to the electric
field at a point in space:

<http://www.anselm.edu/internet/physics/phys-l/efieldanimation.gif>

Jeff Schnick
Saint Anselm College

-----Original Message-----
From: phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu [mailto:phys-l-
bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu] On Behalf Of pschoch@nac.net
Sent: Tuesday, February 27, 2007 11:49 AM
To: phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
Subject: [Phys-l] (no subject)

Greetings,

I am trying to solve a problem asked of me by the class, and am
having a bit of trouble...

I solved the E field problem of a finite line of charge on the x axis
from -L to 0, at a point (0,P).

One young man took an example from the textbook, tried to combine it
with
my example, and got a solution that makes no sense and asked if I
could do
it.

After trying, I also get something that doesn't seem right, and I need
a
bit of help doing this with only freshman techniques. The problem is:

You have a line of charge from (-L,0) to (L,0), and a point at
(-L,P). Evaluate the E field at the point (L,P).

When I try to do this by Freshman physics methods and evaluate the
line integral to get the x and y components from the line of charge I
get
the x component to cancel out (because of the integration from -L to
+L).
Now, this can't be correct, but I don't see my error.

Any help would be appreciated.
P. Schoch


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