Question

How much energy does it take to move a particle with a charge of +2 nC, from an initial position infinitely far from a second particle with a charge of +3 mC, to a final position 0.20 m from the second particle?

Answer 1

To solve this problem we will apply the concept related to the electric potential energy, defined from the laws of Coulomb for which it is necessary to,

`U = (kq_1q_2)/(r)`

Here,

k = Coulomb's constant

`q_(1,2)`= Charge of each object

r = Distance,

Our values are given as,

`q_1 = 2nC = 2*10^(-9)`

`q_2 =3mC =3*10^(-3) C`

`r = 0.2m`

Finally replacing we have that,

`U = (kq_1q_2)/(r)`

`U = ((9*10^9)(2*10^(-9))(3*10^(-3)))/(0.2)`

`U = 0.27J`

Therefore the energy necessary to move the particle is 0.27J