Find the potential energy of a system often point charges. 7nC and 2nC separated by 0.03m
To find the potential energy of a system of point charges, you need to use the formula:
U = k * (Q1 * Q2) / r,
where U is the potential energy, k is the Coulomb's constant (8.99 x 10^9 N m^2/C^2), Q1 and Q2 are the magnitudes of the charges, and r is the separation distance between the charges.
In this case, Q1 and Q2 are 7nC and 2nC respectively, and r is given as 0.03m. However, it's important to note that charges in this formula should be converted from nanocoulombs (nC) to coulombs (C).
To do the conversion, you need to divide the charge by 1 billion, since 1C equals 1 billion nC:
Q1 = 7nC / 1 billion = 7 x 10^-9 C
Q2 = 2nC / 1 billion = 2 x 10^-9 C
Now you have the values you need to calculate the potential energy:
U = (8.99 x 10^9 N m^2/C^2) * ((7 x 10^-9 C) * (2 x 10^-9 C)) / 0.03m
Now you can simplify the equation and calculate the potential energy.