Moving charge between two charged spheres

This simulation is made upon request by a colleague teaching JC2 this year.

The motion of a mobile charge between two source charges is governed by Coulomb’s law ($F = \dfrac{Q_1Q_2}{4\pi\epsilon_0r^2}$) and the electric field. Each source charge produces a field in space, exerting a force on the test charge according to $F = qE$. The total field is the vector sum of all source charges, with positive charges moving along the field and negative charges moving opposite to it.

The test charge’s acceleration depends on the net force, changing its velocity and trajectory according to Newton’s second law. Its motion shows how attractive and repulsive forces combine, providing an intuitive view of electrostatic interactions and field lines.

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