In the diagram below, qA = 9.8 µC & qB = -1.4 µC. There is no charge at point C. The distance between A & C is 2.1 cm and the distance between B & C is 9.6 cm. Find the electric potential at point C
To find the electric potential at point C, we need to calculate the electric potential due to both point charges qA and qB at that point. The formula to calculate the electric potential due to a point charge is:
V = k q / r
where V is the electric potential, k is the electrostatic constant (9 × 10^9 N m^2/C^2), q is the charge, and r is the distance between the charge and the point at which we want to find the electric potential.
First, let's calculate the electric potential due to charge qA at point C:
V_A = (9 × 10^9 N m^2/C^2) * (9.8 µC / 2.1 cm)
Note that we need to convert 2.1 cm to meters:
1 cm = 0.01 m
2.1 cm = 2.1 * 0.01 m = 0.021 m
Plugging in the values:
V_A = (9 × 10^9 N m^2/C^2) * (9.8 × 10^-6 C / 0.021 m)
Now, let's calculate the electric potential due to charge qB at point C:
V_B = (9 × 10^9 N m^2/C^2) * (-1.4 µC / 9.6 cm)
Converting 9.6 cm to meters:
9.6 cm = 9.6 * 0.01 m = 0.096 m
Plugging in the values:
V_B = (9 × 10^9 N m^2/C^2) * (-1.4 × 10^-6 C / 0.096 m)
Finally, to find the total electric potential at point C, we need to add the contributions from both charges:
V_C = V_A + V_B
Calculate V_A and V_B using the formulas and values provided, and then add them together to find the electric potential at point C.