A thin, long rod of length 13.0 m lies along the x axis with its center at the origin. The total charge on the rod is -125 μC.
(a) What is the net electric field at the location (0, 46.0 m)? (Express your answer in vector form.)
$\vec{E}_{rod} = -1051.4\hat{j}$
Consider the electric field due to a small element of the rod. By symmetry, what happens to the x components of the field? Review rules of integration. N/C
(b) To see how the value of the electric field changes if y >> L, determine the net electric field at the location (0, 460 m). (Express your answer in vector form.)
$\vec{E}_{rod} = -5.31\hat{i}$
How significant is the contribution from $L^2$, compared to that from $y^2$ in the expression for the net electric field? N/C