Final answer:
The magnitude of the electric field at point p is calculated using Coulomb's law, considering the individual electric fields due to each point charge and using the principle of superposition to find the total electric field. Known distances and charges are substituted into the formula to obtain the result.
Step-by-step explanation:
The magnitude of the electric field at a point can be calculated using Coulomb's law, which states that the electric field (E) due to a point charge (q) at a distance (r) from the charge is given by the equation:
E = k * |q| / r²
where k is Coulomb's constant (8.99 × 10⁹ N · m²/C²). To find the total electric field at point p, we use the principle of superposition, which allows us to add the electric fields due to individual charges vectorially. For charges at different positions, we need to calculate the electric field due to each charge and then use vector addition to find the resultant field.
Given the total electric field (Eₙₑₗₐ₁), which could be calculated with the Pythagorean theorem if the charges are perpendicular, we can then use the provided geometry to replace unknowns like r with known quantities. If the charge and the distance are known, we substitute those values into Coulomb's law to get the magnitude of the electric field.
The complete question is:Calculate the magnitude of the electric field at p, in newtons?is: