How much work must be done to bring three electrons from a great distance apart to 5.5×10−10 m
To calculate the work required to bring three electrons from a great distance apart to a distance of 5.5 × 10^(-10) meters, we need to consider the electrostatic potential energy between the electrons.
The electrostatic potential energy between two point charges q1 and q2 separated by a distance r is given by the equation:
Potential Energy = (k * q1 * q2) / r
Where:
- k is the electrostatic constant equal to 8.99 × 10^9 Nm^2/C^2
- q1 and q2 are the magnitudes of the charges (in this case, the charges on the electrons)
- r is the separation between the charges
Since we have three electrons, we need to calculate the potential energy for each pair and then sum them up.
Let's assume each electron has the same charge magnitude, which is -1.60 × 10^(-19) C. The negative sign indicates the electrons have the same charge, which means they repel each other.
First, we calculate the potential energy between two electrons using the given separation distance of 5.5 × 10^(-10) meters:
Potential Energy = (k * q1 * q2) / r
= (8.99 × 10^9 Nm^2/C^2 * (-1.60 × 10^(-19) C * -1.60 × 10^(-19) C) / (5.5 × 10^(-10) m)
= 9.98 × 10^(-19) J
Since there are three electrons, we need to calculate the potential energy for each pair and sum them up:
Total Potential Energy = 3 * (9.98 × 10^(-19) J)
= 2.99 × 10^(-18) J
Therefore, the work required to bring three electrons from a great distance apart to a distance of 5.5 × 10^(-10) meters is approximately 2.99 × 10^(-18) joules.
How are the electrons arranged? In an equilateral triangle?
Is 5.5*10^-10 m the side length of the triangle?
One needs to know the configuration to come up with an answer.