Electric Potential

PotentialDifferenceandElectric Potential
PotentialDifferencesina UniformElectricField
ElectricPotentialandPotential EnergyDuetoPointCharges
ObtainingtheValueofthe ElectricFieldfromtheElectric Potential
ElectricPotentialDueto ContinuousChargeDistributions
ElectricPotentialDuetoa ChargedConductor
PotentialDifferenceandElectric Potential

Whenchargeismovedintheeld by
force,theworkdonebytheeldequaltothe
negativeoftheworkdonebyforcecausingthedispl
acement
For small displacement ds, the work by eld is

It causes the potential energy of the eld reduce by:

Foranite displacementof thecharge

fromapointA toapointB
PotentialDifferenceandElectric Potential

ThepotentialenergyperunitchargeU/q0 is
independentof thevalueofq0
Thisis calledtheelectricpotential
(orsimplythepotential)V

Thepotentialdifference
betweenanytwopointsA andB
 Electric potential at an arbitrary point in an
electric eld equals the work required per unit
charge to bring a positive test charge from innity
to that point.

The unit: joules per coulomb or volt (v)

Another unit:
 POTENTIAL DIFFERENCES IN A UNIFORM ELECTRIC
FIELD

If q0 moves from A to B, the change in

If q0 negative , is potential energy is
positive, A negative
charge gains electric
If q0 positive, is negative, the positive
potential energy when it
moves in the direction of charge losses its potential energy when
the moving in the direction of electric eld.
electric eld
 Equipotential
Thenameequipotential surface isgiven toany
surface consistingofa
continuousdistributionofpointshavingthesame
electricpotential
Auniformelectric
elddirectedalongthepositivex axis.PointB
isatalowerelectric
potentialthanpointA.PointsB andC
areatthesame electricpotential.
ELECTRIC POTENTIAL AND POTENTIAL
ENERGY
DUE TO POINT CHARGES
Generalexpressionforpotentiald
ifference:

Thequantityin right hand

canbeexpressedas

And

If R A
 ELECTRIC POTENTIAL AND POTENTIAL
ENERGY
DUE TO POINT CHARGES(2)
Foragroupofpointcharges,V ata point is

Potential energy of two-charge system

 OBTAINING THE VALUE OF THE ELECTRIC
FIELD
FROM THE ELECTRIC POTENTIAL
The potentialdifferencedV between two
pointsadistanceds apartas

If V(x,y,z) , then E is
Example
Example (2)
ELECTRICPOTENTIAL DUE TO CONTINUOUS
CHARGE
DISTRIBUTIONS
The electricpotentialdV atsomepointP
duetothechargeelementdq is

The total of V is
 Example

The electric potential at

P
Example(2)
ELECTRICPOTENTIAL DUE TO CONTINUOUS
CHARGE
DISTRIBUTIONS
 ELECTRIC POTENTIAL DUE TO A
CHARGED CONDUCTOR

When a conductor in equilibrium, the

potential differencebetweenA andB
isnecessarilyzero: