Practice portal › Electric Potential and Capacitance › Electrostatic Potential Energy
Asked in GUJCET 2016 · Energy of a system of charges
For two point charges, U=(kq₁q₂)/r.
Proton and electron: q₁q₂=(+e)(-e)=-e², so U=-(ke²)/r, a negative quantity.
As they separate, r increases and U becomes less negative — it increases towards zero.
Physically, they attract, so pulling them apart needs work done on the system, and that work is stored as potential energy.
So the potential energy increases.
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