ELECTRIC
POTENTIAL
ELECTRIC POTENTIAL ENERGY
Electrical force means you have to do
work to move an electric charge from one
position to another.
Ifyou have to do work to move the charge,
then you store electric potential energy UE
in the system.
The SI unit of UE is the joule.
THE POTENTIAL ENERGY OF
POINT CHARGES
THE POTENTIAL ENERGY OF POINT
CHARGES
POTENTIAL ELECTRIC ENERGY
High PE High PE Low PE
Low PE
Just like gravity electric force can do work
work does not depend on the path
it depends only on the initial and final position
there is a potential energy associated with electric field.
ELECTRIC POTENTIAL
ENERGY
ELECTRIC POTENTIAL
PE
V=
q
• V – electric potential is the potential energy of a
positive test charge in electric field, divided by
the magnitude of this charge q.
• Electric potential is a scalar (so much nicer!).
• Electric potential is measured in Volts (V=J/C).
• Potential difference between two points ∆V=Vb-
Va is often called voltage.
CHARGES IN ELECTRIC FIELDS
Force on charge q:
b 𝐹𝐹 = 𝑞𝑞𝑞𝑞
Work done by the field to move this
charge
𝑊𝑊 = 𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹 = 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑
F d 𝑊𝑊 = 𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑎𝑎 − 𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃 = 𝑞𝑞𝑞𝑞𝑎𝑎 − 𝑞𝑞𝑞𝑞𝑞𝑞 = −𝑞𝑞∆𝑉𝑉
+
E a 𝑑𝑑 𝐸𝐸 = −∆𝑉𝑉
𝐸𝐸 = −∆𝑉𝑉/𝑑𝑑 , points from high
potential to low
Sometimes electric field is measured
in V/m =N/C
POTENTIAL DUE TO A POINT
CHARGE
THE POTENTIAL IS PATH
INDEPENDENT
POTENTIAL DUE TO A GROUP
OF POINT CHARGES
POTENTIAL DUE TO A GROUP
OF POINT CHARGES
POTENTIAL DUE TO AN
ELECTRIC DIPOLE
POTENTIAL DUE TO A CONTINUOUS
CHARGE DISTRIBUTION
EQUIPONTENTIALS
are surfaces at the same
potential;
are always perpendicular
to field lines;
Never cross;
Their density represents
the strength of the electric
field
Potential is higher at
points closer to positive
charge
EQUIPOTENTIAL SURFACES
Two point charges 𝑞𝑞1 and 𝑞𝑞2 are held in two fixed location, separated by
a distance 40 cm as shown in Figure. One charge has a magnitude of
𝑞𝑞1 = +50 𝜇𝜇𝜇𝜇 and another has the magnitude 𝑞𝑞2 = −50 𝜇𝜇𝜇𝜇.
(a) Determine the net electric field at point A due to charges 𝑞𝑞1 and 𝑞𝑞2 .
(b) Calculate the net electric potential at points A and B due to charges
q1 and q2.
(c) How much work you have to do to move an electron from point A to
B?
In figure, Four point charges are placed at the corners of a
square. The distance d = 1.3 m and the charges are 𝑞𝑞1 = +12 𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛,
𝑞𝑞2 = +31 𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛, 𝑞𝑞3 = −24 𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 and 𝑞𝑞4 = +17 𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛.
a. Calculate the electrical potential at point P due to the point
charges.
b. What is the potential energy of the system?
c. Calculate the amount of work done to remove charge 𝑞𝑞3 from
the square to infinity.
d. Calculate the change in electric potential at point P if charges
rotate clockwise to the next.
Two point charges 𝑞𝑞1 = +2.4 𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛and 𝑞𝑞2 = −6.5 𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 are 0.1 𝑚𝑚 apart. Point
A is midway between them; point B is 0.08 𝑚𝑚 from 𝑞𝑞1 and 0.06 m from 𝑞𝑞2
(Fig). Take the electric potential to be zero at infinity. Find
(a) the potential at point A
(b) the potential at point B
(c) the work done by the electric field on a charge of 2.5 nC that travels
from point B to point A.
Figure shows a rectangular array of charged particles fixed in place,
with distance 𝑎𝑎 = 39.0 𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐 and the charges shown as integer
multiples of 𝑞𝑞1 = 3.40 𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝 and 𝑞𝑞2 = 6.00 𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝.
(a) With 𝑉𝑉 = 0 at infinity, what is the net electric potential at the
rectangle’s center? (Consider the centre point as P)
(b) How much work must be done to move a new charge of +6.11µC
from centre to infinity?
(c) If a charge of +6.11µC and mass of 7.41 gm is released from rest at
point P, at what speed it will moved infinitely far away from this
charge configuration?
