Problem: A proton has an initial speed of 3.9 x 105 m/s.What potential difference is required to reduce the initial kinetic energy of the proton by a factor of 3?

Law of conservation of energy:

$\begin{array}{rcl} K_{i} + U_{i} & = & K_{f} + U_{f} \\ \frac{1}{2} m {v_{i}}^{2} + q V_{i} & = & \frac{1}{2} m {v_{f}}^{2} + q V_{f} \end{array}$

Final kinetic energy, K_f = K_i/3

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A proton has an initial speed of 3.9 x 10⁵ m/s.

What potential difference is required to reduce the initial kinetic energy of the proton by a factor of 3?

What scientific concept do you need to know in order to solve this problem?

Our tutors have indicated that to solve this problem you will need to apply the Intro to Conservation of Energy concept. You can view video lessons to learn Intro to Conservation of Energy. Or if you need more Intro to Conservation of Energy practice, you can also practice Intro to Conservation of Energy practice problems.

What professor is this problem relevant for?

Based on our data, we think this problem is relevant for Professor Semendeferi's class at UH.