Final answer:
To find electrostatic potential energy using Coulomb's law, apply the formula U = k(q1q2)/r with the known charge values and distance. Always verify your answer's units and reasonableness.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the electrostatic potential energy using Coulomb's law, you need to use the equation U = k(q1q2)/r, where U is the electrostatic potential energy, k is Coulomb's constant with a value of 8.99 × 10⁹ Nm²/C², q1 and q2 are the charges, and r is the distance between the centers of the two charges.
- Identify the knowns such as charges q1 and q2, and distance r.
- Plug the known values into the equation to solve for the unknown U, the electrostatic potential energy.
- Check the answer to ensure the units are correct and the value is reasonable.
Using the given example, if you have eight charges of +3 μC each at the corners of a cube with sides of 2 cm, remember that potential energy will be the sum of the potential energy for each unique pair of charges, and use the equation accordingly