Question

The charge of the first particle is -1.5 nC and the charge of the second particle is 2.5 nC. The particles are released are initially separated by 2.5 cm, having first particle released from rest position. The second particle is fixed at its location. What is the change in electrical potential energy when the first particle moved 1.0 cm?

Answer 1

The change in electrical potential energy is found by calculating the potential energies at two different separations using Coulomb's law and subtracting the final energy from the initial energy.

Step-by-step explanation:

The change in electrical potential energy when the first particle with a charge of -1.5 nC moves 1.0 cm towards the second particle with a charge of 2.5 nC can be calculated using the formula for the electrical potential energy between two point charges:

U = (k × q1 × q2) / r, where U is the potential energy, k is Coulomb's constant (8.988 × 10^9 N·m^2/C^2), q1 and q2 are the charges of the particles, and r is the separation distance between them.

The initial separation is 2.5 cm, and the final separation after the first particle has moved is 1.5 cm (after moving 1.0 cm closer). We calculate the initial and final potential energies and find the change by subtracting the final energy from the initial energy.