Quick physics question

Test Preparation
1

<p>Before I ask anything, I'd to tell any administrators reading this that the last time I logged in was 01-01-1970 at 12:00 AM. Perhaps the technical managers can be notified. =)</p>

<p>Ok, now to the question. I was drawing electric field diagrams when this crossed my mind: place a test charge on a line equidistant from two negative charges above or below the intersection of this line with the line joining the two charges. Will the charge oscillate forever? (Am I overlooking something, or does this defy the law of conversation of energy?)</p>

<p>(This was also posted on the high school life board, but I'm kind of desperate for time here. Sorry!)</p>

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<p>Bump please?</p>

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<p>given that you give it an initial velocity (if initial velocity of the test charge is 0, it will just stay at the centre), it will occillate...
but this is not a violation of energy laws... occillations do not violate any energy laws! what happens during occillations is that potential energy is converted to kinetic energy and back! If there is no air resistance, it will continue occillating indefinitely... but the energy of the system is still the same -- there is no loss or gain in energy! If there is air resistance, the amplitude of the occillation will decrease until eventually, the particle remains stationary at the intersection point.</p>