• Unit vectors of the electrostatic field surrounding 2 point charges are depicted in the above animation.
  • Unit vectors are shown pointing away from the sampling points (marked in magenta) on 2D plane containing the charges.
• The charges have the same magnitude but opposite signs, so they form an electric dipole.
• Gray shading provides a logaritmic depiction of the magnitude of electrostatic dipole field.
  • Watch how the intensity (field magnitude) surrounding the dipole depends on the distance between the 2 charges.
• What aspect of the animation is unrealistic?
  • Hint: immediate action-at-a-distance vs delayed (or retarded) response...

Feel free to download the source file and modify the javascript code to add more effects.