Point charges of + 2.0 μC, + 4.0 μC, and + 6.0 μC are placed at the origin, the point y = -0.30 m, and x = 0.40 m, respectively. What is the electric potential energy of the system?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The electric potential energy of a system of point charges can be calculated using the equation: 
U = (1/4πε0) ΣΣ(qi*qj/ri,j)
where U is the potential energy, qi and qj are the charges, ri,j is the distance between charges i and j, and ε0 is the permittivity of free space.

We can calculate the potential energy of the system by considering each pair of charges and summing up the contributions.

U = (1/4πε0)[(2*4/0.4)+ (2*6/√(0.4^2+0.3^2))+ (4*6/√(0.4^2+0.3^2))]

U = 0.94 mJ = 940 μJ

Therefore, the correct answer is C, 940 mJ.

Point Charges of + 2