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Electric Potential Energy definitions Flashcards

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Electric Potential Energy definitions
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  • Electric Potential Energy
    Stored energy between two charges, converted to kinetic energy when charges move apart.
  • Coulomb's Constant
    A proportionality constant in electrostatics, denoted as K, used in calculating electric forces and potential energy.
  • Point Charge
    An idealized model of a charged particle with negligible size, used in electrostatics calculations.
  • Distance
    The separation between two charges, affecting the magnitude of electric potential energy.
  • Scalar Quantity
    A physical quantity described by magnitude only, such as electric potential energy, without direction.
  • Kinetic Energy
    Energy associated with the motion of an object, gained when potential energy is converted.
  • Charge Conservation
    A principle stating that the total electric charge in an isolated system remains constant over time.
  • Microcoulomb
    A unit of electric charge equal to 10^-6 coulombs, often used in electrostatics problems.
  • Potential Energy
    Energy stored in a system due to the position of its components, such as charges in an electric field.
  • Pythagorean Theorem
    A mathematical principle used to calculate the hypotenuse of a right triangle, applied in distance calculations.
  • Infinity
    A concept in physics representing an unbounded distance, used in potential energy calculations.
  • Joule
    The SI unit of energy, used to measure electric potential energy and other forms of energy.
  • Vector Addition
    A mathematical operation not required in potential energy calculations, as they involve scalar quantities.
  • Sign of Charge
    The positive or negative nature of a charge, crucial in determining the direction and magnitude of potential energy.
  • System of Charges
    A collection of multiple charges, where total potential energy is the sum of energies between all charge pairs.