Final answer:
To find the net electric field at x = 0 cm, calculate the electric field due to the charges q1 and q2 and add them together. The net electric field at x = 5.5 cm will be directed towards the negative charge. The direction of the net electric field is positive along the x-axis at x = 0 cm and negative along the x-axis at x = 5.5 cm.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the net electric field at x = 0 cm, we need to calculate the electric field due to both charges q1 and q2 and then add them together. The formula for electric field due to a point charge is given by:
E = k * (|q| / r^2)
Where k is the electrostatic constant (k = 8.99 x 10^9 N m^2/C^2), q is the charge, and r is the distance of the point from the charge.
For q1 at x1 = +3.1 cm:
E1 = (8.99 x 10^9 N m^2/C^2) * (7.7 x 10^-6 C) / (0.031 m)^2
For q2 at x2 = +8.9 cm:
E2 = (8.99 x 10^9 N m^2/C^2) * (-19 x 10^-6 C) / (0.089 m)^2
To find the direction of the net electric field, we need to consider the signs of the charges. Since q1 is positive and q2 is negative, the net electric field at x = 0 cm will be directed towards the positive charge. Hence, the direction of the net electric field is positive along the x-axis.
To find the net electric field at x = 5.5 cm, we follow the same steps as above, but now we calculate the electric field at that point:
E1 = (8.99 x 10^9 N m^2/C^2) * (7.7 x 10^-6 C) / (0.055 m)^2
E2 = (8.99 x 10^9 N m^2/C^2) * (-19 x 10^-6 C) / (0.055 m)^2
Again, considering the signs of the charges, the net electric field at x = 5.5 cm will be directed towards the negative charge. Hence, the direction of the net electric field is negative along the x-axis.