ElectricPotential.pptVIP

Electric Potential Electric Potential Energy and Potential Difference Relation between Electric Potential and Electric Field Equipotential Lines The Electron Volt, a Unit of Energy Electric Potential Due to Point Charges The electrostatic force is conservative – potential energy can be defined Change in electric potential energy is negative of work done by electric force: Electrostatic Potential Energy and Potential Difference Analogy between gravitational and electrical potential energy: Electric potential is defined as potential energy per unit charge: Unit of electric potential: the volt (V). 1 V = I J/C. Only changes in potential can be measured, allowing free assignment of V = 0. (Gravity analogy?) Work is charge multiplied by potential: Work is also force multiplied by distance: Solving for the field, If the field is not uniform, it can be calculated at multiple points: Equipotential Lines An equipotential is a line or surface over which the potential is constant. Electric field lines are perpendicular to equipotentials. The surface of a conductor is an equipotential. Equipotential Lines One electron volt (eV) is the energy gained by an electron moving through a potential difference of one volt. Electric Potential Due to Point Charges The electric potential due to a point charge can be derived using calculus. Electric Potential Due to Point Charges These plots show the potential due to (a) positive and (b) negative charge. Using potentials instead of fields can make solving problems much easier – potential is a scalar quantity, whereas the field is a vector. Why use potentials instead of fields? MOTION OF CHARGED PARTICLES IN A UNIFORM ELECTRIC FIELD When a particle of charge q and mass m is placed in an electric field E, the electric force exerted on the charge is qE. If this is the only force exerted on the particle, it must be the net force and so must cause the particle to accelerate. In this case, Newton’s second law applied to the particle gives Let