45. A point charge of +2C is kept fixed at the o... morerigin. Another...
Calculation of Electrostatic Potential Energy
Given:
- Charge 1, q1 = 2C
- Charge 2, q2 = 4C
- Distance between charges, r = 50 cm = 0.5 m
Formula: Electrostatic potential energy (U) = k * q1 * q2 / r
where k = Coulomb's constant = 9 x 10^9 Nm^2/C^2
Substituting the given values, we get
U = (9 x 10^9) * 2 * 4 / 0.5
U = 72 x 10^9 J
Therefore, the electrostatic potential energy of the two charge system is 72 x 10^9 J.
Calculation of Work Done
Given:
- Charge 3, q3 = 1C
- Distance between charges, r = 100 cm = 1 m
Formula: Work done (W) = k * q1 * q3 / r1 + k * q2 * q3 / r2
where r1 and r2 are the distances between charge 1 and charge 3, and charge 2 and charge 3 respectively.
Substituting the given values, we get
W = (9 x 10^9) * 2 * 1 / 1 + (9 x 10^9) * 4 * 1 / 1
W = 54 x 10^9 J
Therefore, the work done to bring the charge 3 to a point distant 100 cm from each of these two charges is 54 x 10^9 J.
Explanation
When a charge is brought near another charge, it experiences an electrostatic force. The work done to bring the charge against this force is equal to the change in the electrostatic potential energy of the system. In the given problem, we first calculated the electrostatic potential energy of the two charge system using Coulomb's law. Then, we used the same law to calculate the work done to bring the third charge to a point distant 100 cm from each of the two charges.