electric potential

(noun)

The potential energy per unit charge at a point in a static electric field; voltage.

Related Terms

  • charge
  • electric field
  • work
  • voltage

Examples of electric potential in the following topics:

  • Electric Potential Due to a Point Charge

    • The electric potential of a point charge Q is given by $V=\frac{kQ}{r}$.
    • Recall that the electric potential is defined as the electric potential energy per unit charge
    • The electric potential tells you how much potential energy a single point charge at a given location will have.
    • The electric potential at a point is equal to the electric potential energy (measured in joules) of any charged particle at that location divided by the charge (measured in coulombs) of the particle.
    • The electric potential is a scalar while the electric field is a vector.
  • Superposition of Electric Potential

    • We've seen that the electric potential is defined as the amount of potential energy per unit charge a test particle has at a given location in an electric field, i.e.
    • We've also seen that the electric potential due to a point charge is
    • Recall that the electric potential V is a scalar and has no direction, whereas the electric field E is a vector.
    • The summing of all voltage contributions to find the total potential field is called the superposition of electric potential.
    • Explain how the total electric potential due to a system of point charges is found
  • Relation Between Electric Potential and Field

    • The electric potential at a point is the quotient of the potential energy of any charged particle at that location divided by the charge of that particle.
    • Thus, the electric potential is a measure of energy per unit charge.
    • In terms of units, electric potential and charge are closely related.
    • In a more pure sense, without assuming field uniformity, electric field is the gradient of the electric potential in the direction of x:
    • Explain the relationship between the electric potential and the electric field
  • Energy Conservation

    • This phenomenon can be expressed as the equality of summed kinetic (Ekin) and electric potential (Eel) energies:
    • In all cases, a charge will naturally move from an area of higher potential energy to an area of lower potential energy.
    • At the instant at which the field is applied, the motionless test charge has 0 kinetic energy, and its electric potential energy is at a maximum.
    • where m and v are the mass and velocity of the electron, respectively, and U is the electric potential energy.
    • Formulate energy conservation principle for a charged particle in an electric field
  • Potentials and Charged Conductors

    • All points within a charged conductor experience an electric field of 0.
    • However, having the electric field equal to zero at all points within a conductor, the electric potential within a conductor is not necessarily  equal to zero for all points within that same conductor.
    • This can be proven by relating electric field and potential.
    • Rewriting U as the product of charge (q) and potential difference (V), and force as the product of charge and electric field (E), we can assert:
    • Thus we can conclude that, given that the electric field is constantly 0 for any location within the charged conductor, the potential difference in that same volume needs to be constant and equal to 0.
  • Potential Energy Curves and Equipotentials

    • A potential energy curve plots potential energy as a function of position; equipotential lines trace lines of equal potential energy.
    • In and , if you travel along an equipotential line, the electric potential will be constant.
    • So, every point that is the same distance from the point charge will have the same electric potential energy.
    • Recall that work is zero if force is perpendicular to motion; in the figures shown above, the forces resulting from the electric field are in the same direction as the electric field itself.
    • So we note that each of the equipotential lines must be perpendicular to the electric field at every point.
  • Electric Field and Changing Electric Potential

    • Any charge will create a vector field around itself (known as an electric field).
    • As the test charge moves, the potential between it and another charge changes, as does the electric field.
    • The relationship between potential and field (E) is a differential: electric field is the gradient of potential (V) in the x direction.
    • Thus, as the test charge is moved in the x direction, the rate of the its change in potential is the value of the electric field.
    • Calculate the electric potential created by a charge distribution of constant value
  • Conductors and Insulators

    • An insulator is a material in which, when exposed to an electric field, the electric charges do not flow freely—it has a high resistivity.
    • All conductors contain electric charges that, when exposed to a potential difference, move towards one pole or the other.
    • The positive charges in a conductor will migrate towards the negative end of the potential difference; the negative charges in the material will move towards the positive end of the potential difference.
    • This flow of charge is electric current.
    • Insulators are materials in which the internal charge cannot flow freely, and thus cannot conduct electric current to an appreciable degree when exposed to an electric field.
  • Uniform Electric Field

    • An electric field that is uniform is one that reaches the unattainable consistency of being constant throughout.
    • A uniform field is that in which the electric field is constant throughout.
    • Equations involving non-uniform electric fields require use of differential calculus.
    • Uniformity in an electric field can be approximated by placing two conducting plates parallel to one another and creating a potential difference between them.
    • For the case of a positive charge q to be moved from a point A with a certain potential (V1) to a point B with another potential (V2), that equation is:
  • Dipole Moments

    • The electric dipole moment is a measure of polarity in a system.
    • Among the subset of electric dipole moments are transition dipole moments, molecular dipole moments , bond dipole moments, and electron electric dipole moments.
    • It is brought on by the need to minimize potential energy.
    • Torque (τ) can be calculated as the cross product of the electric dipole moment and the electric field (E), assuming that E is spatially uniform:
    • Relate the electric dipole moment to the polarity in a system
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