Van de Graaff generator is charged to 50,000 volts, how much energy does it take to add an additional electron to the charge on the sphere?
multiply charge of electron times voltage
To determine the energy required to add an additional electron to the charge on the Van de Graaff generator sphere, we need to first understand the concept of electrical potential energy. Electrical potential energy refers to the amount of energy required to move a charged object against an electric field.
The electrical potential energy, denoted by U, is given by the equation U = qV, where q is the charge and V is the potential difference. In this case, the charge is the charge on an electron, which is the elementary charge of 1.6 x 10^-19 coulombs. The potential difference is the voltage of the Van de Graaff generator, which is 50,000 volts.
Plugging these values into the equation, we find:
U = (1.6 x 10^-19 C) x (50000 V) ≈ 8 x 10^-15 joules
Therefore, it takes approximately 8 x 10^-15 joules of energy to add an additional electron to the charge on the Van de Graaff generator sphere.