Question

You have two identical point charges of +6.0 nC each, one at the position x=3.0cm, y=0, z=0 and the other at x=−3.0cm, y=0, z=0. Find the electric potential due to these charges at x=0, y=0, z=0.

Answer 1

The electric potential due to the two identical point charges at the point (0, 0, 0) is 3.6 x 10^8 V.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the electric potential due to two identical point charges at a specific point, we need to calculate the electric potential generated by each charge and then add them together. The electric potential due to a point charge can be calculated using the formula V = k * q / r, where V is the electric potential, k is the Coulomb's constant (9 x 10^9 Nm^2/C^2), q is the charge, and r is the distance from the point charge.

In this case, we have two point charges of +6.0 nC each. Using the formula above, we can calculate the electric potential due to each charge at the point (0, 0, 0). The distance from the first charge is 3.0 cm, and the distance from the second charge is also 3.0 cm.

V1 = (9 x 10^9 Nm^2/C^2) * (6.0 x 10^-9 C) / (0.03 m) = 1.8 x 10^8 V

V2 = (9 x 10^9 Nm^2/C^2) * (6.0 x 10^-9 C) / (0.03 m) = 1.8 x 10^8 V

Adding these two electric potentials together gives us the total electric potential at the point (0, 0, 0):

V_total = V1 + V2 = 1.8 x 10^8 V + 1.8 x 10^8 V = 3.6 x 10^8 V