Final answer:
To find the electric field at a point midway between two charges, we can use the principle of superposition and calculate the electric field due to each charge individually. The electric field is the vector sum of the electric fields due to each charge. In this case, the electric field at the midpoint is 5.775 N/C.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the electric field at a point midway between two charges, we can use the principle of superposition. The electric field at this point is the vector sum of the electric fields due to each charge individually. The electric field due to a point charge can be calculated using the formula E = k * (Q / r^2), where E is the electric field, Q is the charge, r is the distance from the charge, and k is the electrostatic constant.
In this case, we have two charges of +48.4 × 10-9 C and +86.3 × 10-9 C, separated by a distance of 20.3 cm. Since the charges are equal in magnitude, the electric fields they generate will have the same magnitude. Therefore, we can simply calculate the electric field due to one charge and double it to get the total electric field at the midpoint.
Using the formula mentioned earlier and plugging in the values, we get:
E = k * (Q / r^2) = (9 * 10^9 N m^2/C^2) * (48.4 × 10-9 C / (0.203 m)^2) = 5.775 N/C
Therefore, the electric field at the point midway between the charges is 5.775 N/C.