Determine the electric potential energy for the array of three charges shown in the drawing, relative to its value when the charges are infinitely far away. (Let q1 = 8.48 µC, q2 = 19.2 µC, and q3 = -16.1 µC.)
To determine the electric potential energy for the array of three charges, we can use the formula:
Electric Potential Energy = [(k * q1 * q2) / r12] + [(k * q1 * q3) / r13] + [(k * q2 * q3) / r23]
where
- k is the electrostatic constant, equal to 9.0 x 10^9 Nm^2/C^2
- q1, q2, and q3 are the charges in coulombs
- r12, r13, and r23 are the distances between the charges
In this case, the charges are given as follows:
q1 = 8.48 µC
q2 = 19.2 µC
q3 = -16.1 µC
First, we need to convert the charges from microcoulombs (µC) into coulombs (C) by dividing by 10^6:
q1 = 8.48 x 10^-6 C
q2 = 19.2 x 10^-6 C
q3 = -16.1 x 10^-6 C
Next, we need to calculate the distances between the charges. Unfortunately, the drawing is not provided, so it is not possible to determine the distances visually. However, if you have the distances or the relative positions of the charges, you can substitute them into the formula accordingly.
Once you have the values for q1, q2, q3, r12, r13, and r23, you can substitute them into the formula to calculate the electric potential energy.