What is Electric Potential?
The electric potential is defined as the amount of energy required to bring a unit mass object from a reference point to a specific point. If W amount of work is done to move an object of charge q from a point A to a reference point B. The formula for the electric potential can be expressed as,
[Tex]\Delta V=V_B-V_A=\frac{W}{q}\\ \frac{W}{q}=\frac{U_B-U_A}{q}[/Tex]
where VB and VA are the electric potentials at points B and A, respectively.
In general, think about any static charge configuration. A test charge’s potential energy q is defined in terms of the work done on it.
This work is obviously proportional to q because the force at any position is qE, where E is the electric field at that site due to the given charge arrangement. As a result, dividing the work by the charge q yields a quantity independent of q.
The work done by an external force to carry a unit positive charge from infinity to a specific location is equal to the electrostatic potential (V) at that point.
In other words, the electrostatic potential (V ) at any place in an area with an electrostatic field is the work needed to transport a unit positive charge from infinity to that specific location (without acceleration).
Electric potential is a scalar quantity with no direction and only magnitude. It is symbolized by V and has the dimensional formula ML2T-3A-1.
Work done on a test charge q by the electrostatic field due to any given charge configuration is independent of the path and depends only on its initial and final positions
The same caveats that were expressed before about potential energy apply to the definition of potential.
To calculate the work done per unit test charge, start with an infinitesimal test charge δq, calculate the work done δW in bringing it from infinity to the point, and divide by δq to get the δW/δq ratio. In addition, at each point along the path, the external force must be equal to and opposite to the electrostatic force acting on the test charge.
Check: Magnitude of Vector
Electric Potential Energy
Electrical potential energy is the cumulative effect of the position and configuration of a charged object and its neighboring charges. The electric potential energy of a charged object governs its motion in the local electric field.
Sometimes electrical potential energy is confused with electric potential, however, the electric potential at a specific point in an electric field is the amount of work required to transport a unit charge from a reference point to that specific point and electrical potential energy is the amount of energy required to move a charge against the electric field.
In this article, let’s understand the electrical potential energy, electric potential, their key concepts, applications, and solved problems.
Table of Content
- What is Electric Potential Energy?
- Electric Potential Energy Formula
- Electric Potential Energy of a Point Charge
- Electric Potential Energy of a System of Charges
- What is Electric Potential?
- What is Electric Potential Difference?
- Electric Potential Derivation
- Electric Potential of a Point Charge
- Solved Examples on Electric Potential Energy
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