---
title: "A student measures the electric field magnitude \\(E\\) at several radial distances \\(r\\) from the midpoint of a uniformly charged thin rod of unknown length. The table displays the experimental data collected in a region close to the rod.  | Distance \\(r\\text{ (m)}\\) | Electric Field \\(E\\text{ (N/C)}\\) | |—|—| | 0.05 | 7200 | | 0.10 | 3600 | | 0.20 | 1800 | | 0.40 | 900  |  To test whether the data confirm the theoretical model for an infinitely long line of charge, which graph should the student plot, and which feature of that graph provides this confirmation?"
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url: "https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/124700/"
date_modified: "2026-09-28T14:09:09+00:00"
---

# A student measures the electric field magnitude \(E\) at several radial distances \(r\) from the midpoint of a uniformly charged thin rod of unknown length. The table displays the experimental data collected in a region close to the rod.

| Distance \(r\text{ (m)}\) | Electric Field \(E\text{ (N/C)}\) |
|—|—|
| 0.05 | 7200 |
| 0.10 | 3600 |
| 0.20 | 1800 |
| 0.40 | 900  |

To test whether the data confirm the theoretical model for an infinitely long line of charge, which graph should the student plot, and which feature of that graph provides this confirmation?

A student measures the electric field magnitude \(E\) at several radial distances \(r\) from the midpoint of a uniformly charged thin rod of unknown length. The table displays the experimental data collected in a region close to the rod.

| Distance \(r\text{ (m)}\) | Electric Field \(E\text{ (N/C)}\) |
|---|---|
| 0.05 | 7200 |
| 0.10 | 3600 |
| 0.20 | 1800 |
| 0.40 | 900  |

To test whether the data confirm the theoretical model for an infinitely long line of charge, which graph should the student plot, and which feature of that graph provides this confirmation?

- **A.** Plot \(E\) on the vertical axis versus \(r\) on the horizontal axis; the confirmation is a line of best fit with a constant negative slope.
- **B.** Plot \(\ln E\) on the vertical axis versus \(r\) on the horizontal axis; the confirmation is a line of best fit with a constant negative slope.
- **C.** Plot \(\ln E\) on the vertical axis versus \(\ln r\) on the horizontal axis; the confirmation is a line of best fit with a slope equal to \(-2\).
- **D.** Plot \(\ln E\) on the vertical axis versus \(\ln r\) on the horizontal axis; the confirmation is a line of best fit with a slope equal to \(-1\).

*The answer key and step-by-step explanation are available to logged-in users at https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/124700/*