Electric Dipole Field Simulation
Visualize and calculate electric fields around dipole configurations
Interactive Simulation
This simulation visualizes the electric field around a dipole (±10 μC charges). Click "Calculate Field" to see the electric field at the selected point.
Axis Point (P)
Normal Point (Q)
Simulation Results
Dipole moment (p):
5 × 10⁻⁸ C·m
Electric field at P:
Click "Calculate Field" to see results
Calculation method:
-
Physics Explanation
The example calculates the electric field at two points around a dipole (±10 μC charges):
System Parameters:
- Charges: ±10 μC (q = ±10⁻⁵ C)
- Separation: 5 mm (2a = 5×10⁻³ m)
- Dipole moment: p = q × 2a = 5×10⁻⁸ C·m
Key Concepts:
For point P on axis:
E = 2p/(4πε₀r³) (when r ≫ a)
- Direction: Along dipole moment (from -q to +q)
- Exact calculation considers each charge separately
- Field falls off as 1/r³ (compared to 1/r² for single charge)
For point Q on normal:
E = p/(4πε₀r³) (when r ≫ a)
- Direction: Opposite to dipole moment
- Field components perpendicular to axis cancel
- Parallel components add up
- Magnitude is half of axial field at same distance
The simulation shows that at large distances compared to the dipole separation (r ≫ a), the dipole approximation gives results close to the exact calculation.
