A charge of 5 μC is placed in an electric field of 2000 N/C. What is the potenti
Practice Questions
Q1
A charge of 5 μC is placed in an electric field of 2000 N/C. What is the potential energy of the charge?
10 mJ
1 mJ
0.5 mJ
2 mJ
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
A charge of 5 μC is placed in an electric field of 2000 N/C. What is the potential energy of the charge?
Step 1: Identify the charge value. The charge is given as 5 μC (microcoulombs).
Step 2: Convert the charge to coulombs. 5 μC = 5 × 10^-6 C.
Step 3: Identify the electric field value. The electric field is given as 2000 N/C.
Step 4: Assume a distance. For this calculation, we will assume the distance is 1 meter.
Step 5: Use the formula for potential energy: U = Charge × Electric Field × Distance.
Step 6: Substitute the values into the formula: U = (5 × 10^-6 C) × (2000 N/C) × (1 m).
Step 7: Calculate the potential energy: U = 5 × 10^-6 × 2000 = 10 × 10^-3 J.
Step 8: Convert the result to millijoules: 10 × 10^-3 J = 10 mJ.
Electric Potential Energy – The potential energy of a charge in an electric field is calculated using the formula U = qEd, where q is the charge, E is the electric field strength, and d is the distance moved in the direction of the field.
Units of Measurement – Understanding the conversion of microcoulombs (μC) to coulombs (C) and millijoules (mJ) to joules (J) is essential for accurate calculations.