A2L Item 210

• Description: Identify the correct graph of the x-component of the electric field.
• Goal: Relate representations
• Source: 283-342 Graph Ex(x)
• Keywords: Electric Field, Electromagnetism, Graphing, Vectors

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The question for students:

We have a charge configuration (shown at the right). Which graph is the plot of E_x(x), the x component of the electric field, as you move along the x-axis?

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Commentary for teachers:

Answer

(6) Students should recognize that the field goes singular at the charges. The only graphs doing that, #1 and #4, are eliminated because the x-component of the field must be negative everywhere between the two charges. Have students sketch the graph.

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