Electrostatic Potential of 4 charged spheres on corners of a square

AI Thread Summary
The discussion focuses on calculating the electrostatic potential energy and kinetic energy of a system of four identical charged spheres positioned at the corners of a square. For part a, the total electrostatic potential energy is expressed as Utot=k(4√2q²+2q²)/√2r. In part b, the kinetic energy gained by a sphere moving far away from the others is related to the initial potential energy. For part c, the speed of the sphere moving far away is derived using the equation Ui=Kf, resulting in v=√(k*2q²/mr + q²/√2mr). The calculations aim to confirm the correctness of these derived equations.
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Homework Statement


Four idential charged spheres are located at the corners of a square with side length 2a. The spheres are much smaller than the size of the square (r<<a) and each sphere has a mass m and carries the same charge -Q.

a) What is the total electrostatic potential energy of the combined 4-sphere system when arranged as described?
b) How much kinetic energy does a sphere gain by moving very far away from the other three?
c) What is the speed of a sphere moved very far away?


Homework Equations


Utot=kq1q2/r
KEf=Ui
KE=1/2mv^2


The Attempt at a Solution


For part a, I think i got the right answer: Utot=k(4root2q^2+2q^2)/root2r

b)KE=1/2(4m)v^2 and that's it because that's all we know

c) I used Ui=Kf
so k(4root2q^2+2q^2)/root2r=1/2(4m)v^2

and solve for v to get

v=squareroot(k*2q^2/mr+q^2/root2mr)
 
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