Three equal 1.20-μC point charges are placed at the corners...

Three equal $1.20-\mu \mathrm{C}$ point charges are placed at the corners of an equilateral triangle whose sides are 0.500 $\mathrm{m}$ long. What is the potential energy of the system? (Take as zero the potential energy of the three charges when they are infinitely far apart.)

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Key Concepts

Electric Potential Energy

Electric potential energy is the energy stored in a system of charges due to their relative positions. It represents the work required to assemble the charges from infinity, where the potential energy is defined as zero, to their final configuration, overcoming the electrostatic forces between them.

Coulomb's Law

Coulomb's law describes how the electrostatic force between two point charges varies directly with the product of their charges and inversely with the square of the distance between them. This law forms the basis for calculating the potential energy between any two charges, using the formula U = k(q1q2/r), where k is Coulomb's constant.

Superposition Principle

The superposition principle states that the total potential energy of a system of charges is the sum of the potential energies for each unique pair of charges. This principle allows us to compute the overall energy by considering all pairwise interactions individually and then adding them together.

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