The discussion centers on the transformation of electrical potential energy (PE) into kinetic energy (KE) when charges interact. When a negative charge is pulled away from a positive charge, it possesses 30 joules of electrical PE, which converts entirely into KE upon release. Upon reaching the positive charge, the KE can transform into various forms of energy, including heat, electromagnetic radiation, or even chemical bonds, depending on the interaction type, such as elastic collisions or annihilation events.
PREREQUISITESStudents of physics, educators teaching energy transformations, and anyone interested in the interactions of charged particles and their energy dynamics.
If you are talking about charged bodies that collide and stay together, then the energy goes into heat and EM-radiation. If it's an electron positron pair that annihilate each other, then it all goes into EM-radiation.CuriousBanker said:...once it gets to the positive charge, what form of energy does that KE turn into?
It depends on the circumstances. There could be a chemical bond formed if the KE exceeds the threshold energy - in which case the PE change of the new molecule could account for all the KE. The two objects could bounce apart after an elastic collision.CuriousBanker said:what form of energy does that KE turn into?