Potential Energy of Dipole in Electric Field

Homework Statement

A dipole of moment 0.7 e * nm is placed in a uniform electric field with a magnitude of 50000 N/C. Find the potential energy of the dipole in the electric field at 60 degrees. Answer in units of J.

-pE cos (theta)

The Attempt at a Solution

I found the magnitude of the torque on the dipole when it makes an angle of 60 degrees with the electric field to be 4.8497423e-24 N*m. (This I know to be correct.) I then used the equation -pE cos (theta) to get 2.8e-24 for the potential energy. However, I keep being told that this is incorrect.

LowlyPion
Homework Helper

Homework Statement

A dipole of moment 0.7 e * nm is placed in a uniform electric field with a magnitude of 50000 N/C. Find the potential energy of the dipole in the electric field at 60 degrees. Answer in units of J.

-pE cos (theta)

The Attempt at a Solution

I found the magnitude of the torque on the dipole when it makes an angle of 60 degrees with the electric field to be 4.8497423e-24 N*m. (This I know to be correct.) I then used the equation -pE cos (theta) to get 2.8e-24 for the potential energy. However, I keep being told that this is incorrect.

Don't they give you the dipole moment p directly as a given "0.7 e * nm" ?

Isn't that the dipole moment you use in

U = -p*E*cosθ