Recent content by Murphy.T

I apologize for my typing errors, I know initial potential energy is not zero but I am being told otherwise, I think I get it now thanks for your help.

Sorry I (didn't) mean to say that you said initial PE was zero. I was confused because in the key they said initial PE was zero and they used the final PE for the equation KE final - KE intial + PE final - PE intial = 0

Right it wasn't the problem I was wondering about so much as the concept of a negative charge with initial potential energy being zero near another negative charge, but you're saying it does ( have initial potential energy) and it's just the change in potential energy equals the change in...

Well maybe you don't have to, but on the key where I got the question that's what was done.

If an electron starts from rest 85.0 cm from a negative fixed source charge of -0.135 micro coulombs we use the equation ke final - ke intial + pe final - pe intial. In solving you use ke = pe which appears to cancel out the inital kinetic and potential energy but how can the initial potential...

This is a lot like the situation I find myself in, and this was an inspiring read, so thank you for posting!