Question

Where would Madison put a negative charge relative to a positive charge in order for it to have the least electrical potential energy? a The distance does not matter, they can put the charged objects anywhere b The objects will need to be moving more closely to each other to have more kinetic energy c Place them as close together as possible d Separate the charged objects about 4 meters away from each other e They will need more charge to get more potential energy

Answer 1

c Place them as close together as possible

Step-by-step explanation:

Electrical potential energy between two opposite charges

= - k Q₁ Q₂ / R ,

k is constant , Q₁ and -Q₂ are charges and distance between them is R.

when R is least the magnitude of electrical potential will be least because of negative sign of electrical energy . The minimum value of R will be at situation when they will be as close to each other as possible . Hence third option is the right answer. The value of a negative fraction will be least when denominator will have least value.