Two points A and B are 85cm north and 60cm west of point charge of -45x10-3 respectively.Calculate the potential difference between A and B
To calculate the potential difference between points A and B, you need to understand the concept of electric potential and how it is affected by point charges.
Electric potential is the amount of electric potential energy per unit charge at a particular point in an electric field. It is measured in volts (V). The electric potential at a point near a charged object is directly proportional to the charge of the object and inversely proportional to the distance from the point charge.
In this case, we have a point charge of -45 x 10^-3 (negative sign indicates a negative charge). Point A is 85 cm north of the charge, and point B is 60 cm west of the charge. To calculate the potential difference between A and B, we need to find the electric potential at each point and then subtract the two values.
Step 1: Convert distance to meters
Convert the given distances to meters:
85 cm = 0.85 m (north)
60 cm = 0.60 m (west)
Step 2: Calculate the electric potential at point A
The electric potential at point A can be calculated using the formula:
V_A = k * (q / r_A)
where
V_A is the electric potential at point A,
k is the Coulomb constant (9 x 10^9 Nm^2/C^2),
q is the charge of the point charge (-45 x 10^-3 C), and
r_A is the distance between point A and the point charge (0.85 m).
Substituting the values into the formula, we get:
V_A = (9 x 10^9 Nm^2/C^2) * (-45 x 10^-3 C) / 0.85 m
Calculate the value of V_A using a calculator.
Step 3: Calculate the electric potential at point B
The electric potential at point B is calculated using the same formula as before, replacing r_A with the distance between point B and the point charge (0.60 m), calculating V_B:
V_B = k * (q / r_B)
where r_B is the distance between point B and the point charge (0.60 m).
Substituting the values into the formula, we get:
V_B = (9 x 10^9 Nm^2/C^2) * (-45 x 10^-3 C) / 0.60 m
Calculate the value of V_B using a calculator.
Step 4: Calculate the potential difference between A and B
To calculate the potential difference (V_AB) between A and B, subtract the electric potential at B from the electric potential at A:
V_AB = V_A - V_B
Substitute the values of V_A and V_B into the formula and calculate the potential difference using a calculator.
The resulting value will give you the potential difference between points A and B.