Use the following figure to answer the next problem.
-The electrostatic potential energy of the system of point charges q₁ = 1 µC,q₂ = -2 µC,and q₃ = 3 µC at the corners of the equilateral triangle whose side s = 40 cm is

Question

Use the following figure to answer the next problem.

-The electrostatic potential energy of the system of point charges q₁ = 1 µC,q₂ = -2 µC,and q₃ = 3 µC at the corners of the equilateral triangle whose side s = 40 cm is

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The electrostatic potential energy of a system of point charges can be calculated using the formula:
U = (1/(4πε)) * ∑qi*qj/r
where ε is the permittivity of free space, qi and qj are the charges of the point charges, and r is the distance between them.

In this case, there are three point charges arranged at the corners of an equilateral triangle, so we can break down the calculation into three pairs of point charges:
U = (1/(4πε)) * [(1 µC) * (-2 µC)/40 cm + (1 µC) * (3 µC)/40 cm + (-2 µC) * (3 µC)/40 cm]
U = -0.113 J

Therefore, the best choice is E, which is the closest to the calculated value.

Use the Following Figure to Answer the Next Problem