Electric Potential Energy & Acceleration of 2 Metal Spheres

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The discussion revolves around calculating the electric potential energy of two charged metal spheres connected by a string and determining their acceleration and speed after the string is cut. The initial electric potential energy is straightforward to compute based on their charges and distance. Upon cutting the string, the acceleration of each sphere can be derived from Coulomb's law, considering their masses and charges. After a long time, the spheres will continue to move apart due to their like charges, and their speeds can be calculated using conservation of momentum principles. The conversation emphasizes the importance of understanding electric potential energy changes and momentum conservation in this scenario.
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Two tiny metal spheres A and B of mass 5g and 10g have equal positive charge q = 5 microCoulombs. The spheres are connected by a massless nonconducting string of length 1 m, which is much greater than the radii of the spheres. What is the electric potenial energy of the system? Suppose you cut the string. At that instant what is the acceleration of each sphere? A long time after you cut the string, what is the speed of each sphere?

Ok the first two questions are easy, no problem, but I'm hesitating on the last one. I'm not sure what to do. Any hints?
 
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What's the Electric PE "a long time" after cutting it?
How could it be different than it was originally?
Or are you forgetting momentum conservation?
 
Got it. Thanks. What was I thinking.
 

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