An electron and a proton are 1.0x10^-10 m apart. in the absence of any other charges, what is the electric potential energy of the electron
To calculate the electric potential energy of the electron in this scenario, we can use the formula:
Electric potential energy = (k * |e1| * |e2|) / r
Where:
- k is the electrostatic constant, with a value of approximately 9.0 x 10^9 N m²/C².
- |e1| and |e2| are the magnitudes of the charges (in this case, the charge of the electron, |e|, is 1.6 x 10^-19 C).
- r is the separation distance between the charges (in this case, 1.0 x 10^-10 m).
Plugging in the values, we can calculate the electric potential energy:
Electric potential energy = (9.0 x 10^9 N m²/C² * |1.6 x 10^-19 C| * |+1.6 x 10^-19 C|) / (1.0 x 10^-10 m)
Simplifying the equation:
Electric potential energy = (9.0 x 10^9 N m²/C² * 1.6 x 10^-19 C * 1.6 x 10^-19 C) / (1.0 x 10^-10 m)
Now we can calculate the numerical value of the electric potential energy.