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AP Physics C: E&M
9.2 Electric Potential
9.1 Electric Potential Energy
BeginnerMCQMathematicalProportional Analysis23k
Three identical point charges at the vertices of an equilateral triangle with center point P.
Three identical point charges at the vertices of an equilateral triangle with center point P.
Three identical point charges, each with charge \(+q\), are initially infinitely far apart from each other. An external agent brings the charges together and fixes them at the vertices of an equilateral triangle with side length \(s\), requiring a total work \(W_1\). The distance from each vertex to the geometric center of the triangle is \(r = \dfrac{s}{\sqrt{3}}\). A fourth identical point charge \(+q\) is then brought from infinity and placed at the center of the triangle, requiring an additional work \(W_2\) done by the external agent. What is the ratio \(\dfrac{W_2}{W_1}\)?

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