A charge of 4 μC is placed at the origin. What is the electric potential at a po
Practice Questions
Q1
A charge of 4 μC is placed at the origin. What is the electric potential at a point (3, 4) m?
300 V
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Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
A charge of 4 μC is placed at the origin. What is the electric potential at a point (3, 4) m?
Step 1: Identify the charge and its location. The charge is 4 μC (microcoulombs) and is placed at the origin (0, 0).
Step 2: Identify the point where we want to find the electric potential. The point is (3, 4) m.
Step 3: Calculate the distance (r) from the charge to the point (3, 4) using the distance formula: r = √(x² + y²). Here, x = 3 and y = 4.
Step 4: Substitute the values into the formula: r = √(3² + 4²) = √(9 + 16) = √25 = 5 m.
Step 5: Use the formula for electric potential (V) due to a point charge: V = k * q / r, where k is the electrostatic constant (approximately 9 × 10^9 N m²/C²), q is the charge, and r is the distance.
Step 6: Substitute the values into the formula: V = (9 × 10^9) * (4 × 10^-6) / 5.
Step 7: Calculate the potential: V = (9 × 10^9 * 4 × 10^-6) / 5 = 720 V.
Electric Potential – The electric potential (V) at a point in space due to a point charge is calculated using the formula V = k * q / r, where k is Coulomb's constant, q is the charge, and r is the distance from the charge to the point.
Distance Calculation – The distance (r) from the charge to the point is determined using the Pythagorean theorem, especially when the coordinates of the point are given.
