The potential energy for the interaction between the two atoms in a diatomic molecule is U = A/x¹² - B/x⁶, where A and B are constants and x is the interatomic distance. The magnitude of the force of one atom exerts on the other is:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

To find the force, we need to take the derivative of the potential energy with respect to the distance x: F = -dU/dx = -A (1/x^2) ¹³ - B (1/x^2) ⁷ Simplifying, we get: F = -A/x^2 ¹³ - B/x^2 ⁷ Multiplying numerator and denominator of the first term by x gives: F = -A/|x|¹³ + B/x⁷ Multiplying numerator and denominator of the second term by |x| gives: F = 12A/|x|¹³ - 6B/|x|⁷ Therefore, the correct answer is A.

The Potential Energy for the Interaction Between the Two Atoms