Electric charges and conservation of energy

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on the calculation of tension in a string connecting two charged particles and the total energy of the system. The tension in the string is determined to be 50.56N, based on the electric forces acting on the particles. The potential energy is calculated as 2.022J. The user seeks clarification on how to derive the final velocities of the particles using conservation of energy and momentum principles.

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  • Understanding of Newton's laws of motion
  • Familiarity with the conservation of energy principle
  • Basic knowledge of electric forces and potential energy
  • Ability to apply conservation of momentum in physics problems
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  • Explore the relationship between electric forces and potential energy
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Students studying physics, particularly those focusing on mechanics and electromagnetism, as well as educators seeking to clarify concepts related to electric forces and energy conservation.

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Homework Statement



Two charged particles connected by a string exert electric forces on one another. One has a mass of 3 grams and the other 6 grams. The string is .04m. The force is calculated to be 50.56N. What is the tension in the string? What is the total energy of the system?

Homework Equations


Newton's laws.
Conservation of Energy.


The Attempt at a Solution



The sum force on each particle is 50.56N, making the tension out to be T = 50.56N.

I calculated the potential energy to be U = 2.022J from earlier in the problem.

The part that I'm stuck on is getting the final velocities.

U(i) - U(f) = k(f) - k(i)

2.022 = k(f)

So I set up the equation as:
2.022 = (1/2)(.003)(v[itex]_{}1[/itex]^2) + (1/2)(.006)(v[itex]_{}2[/itex]^2)

is that right? How would I find 2 different velocities from that? Or are the velocities different?
 
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Should I use conservation of momentum to find the velocities?
 

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