Question

Three charges of equal magnitude of +q C are placed at the vertices of a right-angled triangle ABC. The magnitude and direction of the electric field at the midpoint P of the side AC due to these charges would be:

A) Zero magnitude, directed along the line segment AB
B) Non-zero magnitude, directed along the line segment AB
C) Zero magnitude, directed perpendicular to the line segment AC
D) Non-zero magnitude, directed perpendicular to the line segment AC

Answer 1

The magnitude and direction of the electric field at the midpoint P of the side AC due to three charges placed at the vertices of a right-angled triangle is non-zero and directed perpendicular to AC.

Step-by-step explanation:

The magnitude and direction of the electric field at the midpoint P of the side AC due to three charges placed at the vertices of a right-angled triangle can be determined by considering the contributions from each charge individually. Since the charges are of equal magnitude, the contributions from the two charges located symmetrically from P along AC will cancel out, resulting in a non-zero magnitude of the electric field directed perpendicular to the line segment AC (option D).