Use the following figure to answer the next problem.
-Four point charges q₁ = -1 C,q₂ = 2 C,q₃ = 3 C,and q₄ = 4 C are located at the corners of a square whose side s = 1 m.The electrostatic potential energy of this system of charges is

Question

Use the following figure to answer the next problem.

-Four point charges q₁ = -1 C,q₂ = 2 C,q₃ = 3 C,and q₄ = 4 C are located at the corners of a square whose side s = 1 m.The electrostatic potential energy of this system of charges is

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The correct answer is A because the electrostatic potential energy of a system of charges is given by the equation U = k * q1 * q2 / r, where k is Coulomb's constant, q1 and q2 are the charges, and r is the distance between the charges. In this case, the charges are located at the corners of a square, so the distance between each charge is s = 1 m. The electrostatic potential energy of the system is therefore:U = k * q1 * q2 / r= (9 * 10^9 N m^2 / C^2) * (-1 F1F1F1S1F1F1F10C) * (2 F1F1F1S1F1F1F10C) / (1 m)= -1.8 * 10^9 J= -0.18 J= 0.18 J

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