Electric Field of Point Charges – AP Physics 2 | ShowMeClass

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Electric Field of Point Charges

AP Physics 2 · Unit 3: Electric Forces & Fields

Learning Objectives

Visualize E-field vectors from point charges

Apply superposition: E_net = ΣE_i

Sketch field lines for single, dipole, and multi-charge systems

Calculate E magnitude using Coulomb's law

Key Equations

Charge Colors

Positive charge (+)

Negative charge (−)

Field vector arrows

Field lines

Tips

Click on the canvas to probe E at that point.
Drag charges to reposition them.
Field lines go away from + and toward −.
Field strength ∝ arrow length & line density.

E-FieldCoulombSuperpositionAP Physics 2

Charges—

Mode—

Click anywhere to probe E-field at that point.

Preset Configurations

|Charge| (μC) 1.0

Grid Density 15

Display

E-Field Probe

Click on the canvas to measure the electric field at any point.

📝 Quick Quiz▼

1. Electric field lines point:

From − to + From + to − In circles around charges Perpendicular to charges

2. If you double the distance from a point charge, E becomes:

Half One-quarter Double One-eighth

3. At the exact midpoint between two equal positive charges, E_net is:

Maximum Pointing up Zero Infinite