Question

The electrostatic potential energy of a system of charges is defined as:

Options

• The work done by an external agent in assembling the charges at their respective positions, bringing each charge from infinity, without any kinetic energy being imparted

• The product of the magnitudes of the charges and the square of the distance between them

• The kinetic energy gained by the charges while being brought from infinity

• The work done by the electrostatic force in dispersing the charges to infinity

Answer 1

Electrostatic potential energy is defined as the work done by an external agent in assembling the charges at their respective positions, bringing each charge from infinity without imparting any kinetic energy. Since no kinetic energy is imparted, all the work done is stored as the potential energy of the system.