how do you know if an electric field is made by a point charge

[Gust]

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how do you know if an electric field is made by a point charge

 

[loveoforganic]

Shouldn't any charge, be it point, distributed over a vast object, what have you, exhibit an electric field?

 

[LifeTake2]

Unless they give you two known source charges (or state it is something like a plate) then any field is the result on a point charge.

 

[Rabolisk]

You don't. Of course, all electric fields, I believe, are created by charges, which can be viewed as a collection of point charges.

 

[startoverat40]

how do you know if an electric field is made by a point charge

the field lines project radially outward for a positive point charge, and radially inward for a negative charge. the direction the field points is by convention the direction in which a positive test charge would move. the equipotential lines around a point charge are concentric circles centered at the charge. the potential at each of those is v=Ed.

if the charges are lined up on a plate, like in a capacitor, then the field lines would be parallel to each other, and perpendicular to the plates. they would point from the positive plate towards the negative plate. if they give you the capacitance, voltage, charge on the plates, distance between plates, you can relate them with the usual equations: C=q/v, v=Ed, C=eA/d

 

[ridethecliche]

Now I realize that I don't know anything about fields...

 

[kevo246]

the field lines project radially outward for a positive point charge, and radially inward for a negative charge. the direction the field points is by convention the direction in which a positive test charge would move. the equipotential lines around a point charge are concentric circles centered at the charge. the potential at each of those is v=Ed.

if the charges are lined up on a plate, like in a capacitor, then the field lines would be parallel to each other, and perpendicular to the plates. they would point from the positive plate towards the negative plate. if they give you the capacitance, voltage, charge on the plates, distance between plates, you can relate them with the usual equations: C=q/v, v=Ed, C=eA/d

yep...what he said

 

[SN2ed]

Thread moved. These types of questions belong in the Study Q&A forum.