25.1. Electric Potential and Potential Difference

CHAPTER 3: ELECTRIC POTENTIAL
25.1. Electric Potential and Potential Difference

- When a point charge is placed in an electric field , an electric force acting on the
charge:
This force is conservative.

- Consider the point charge and the field as a system.
+ For an infinitesimal displacement of the point charge, the work done within
the charge–field system by the electric field on the charge:
+ The electric potential energy of the charge–field system is changed by an

amount:
+ For a displacement of the charge from point A to point B,

the change in electric potential energy of the system is:
25.1. Electric Potential and Potential Difference
+ The electric potential energy of the system U corresponding some position of
the charge not only on the source charge distribution but also the charge q.
+ The quantity only on the source charge distribution. This quantity is called the
electric potential (or simply the potential) the electric field:
The SI unit of the electric potential is Volt (V):
The SI unit of electric field (N/C) can also be expressed in V/m: 1 N/C = 1 V/m
+ The potential difference between two points A and B in the electric field:
- Consider the situation in which an external agent moves the charge in the field. If
the agent moves the charge from A to B without changing the kinetic energy of the
charge, the agent performs work that changes the potential energy of the system:
25.2. Potential Difference in a Uniform Electric Field
* the potential difference between two points A and B
separated by a distance , where the displacement points
from A toward B and is parallel to the field lines:
 : Electric field lines always point in the direction of

decreasing electric potential. 𝒔
⃗
- Suppose a charge moves from A to B. The change in the
potential energy of the charge–field system:
 In a system consisting of a positive charge and an

electric field, the electric potential energy of the system
decreases when the charge moves in the direction of the
field.
- When a charge of negligible mass is released in an electric
field, its mechanical energy (kinetic energy K + electric
potential energy U) is conserved.
25.2. Potential Difference in a Uniform Electric Field
* The potential difference between two points A and B,
where the displacement points from A toward B and is not
parallel to the field lines:
- The change in potential energy of the charge–field system:
 All points in a plane perpendicular to a uniform electric

field are at the same electric potential.
* Equipotential surface is a surface consisting of a continuous distribution of points

having the same electric potential.
- For a uniform electric field, Equipotential surfaces are parallel planes that are all
perpendicular to the field.
𝐸
⃗
25.3. Electric Potential and Potential Energy Due to Point
Charges
- The potential difference between two arbittrary
points A and B:
where is angle between and .

- Furthermore, is the projection of on .
(This means any displacement along the path from A to

B produces a change in the magnitude of )
 The potential difference becomes:
- If we choose the reference of electric potential for a point charge to be V = 0 at ,
the potential due to a point charge at any distance from the charge:
- For a group of point charges, the total electric potential at some point P is the
sum of the potentials due to the individual charges:
- Imagine that an external agent brings a point charge from  to P in the field of .
The agent must do a work W (from Eq. 25.7):
W represents a transfer of energy across

the boundary of the two-charge system, and
the energy appears in the system the
electric potential energy of a pair of
point charges U and when the particles
are separated by a distance :
+ If the charges are of the same sign  U is positive  Positive work must be done
by an external agent on the system to bring the two charges near each other.
+ If the charges are of opposite sign  U is negative  Negative work is done by
an external agent against the attractive force between the charges of opposite sign
as they are brought near each other.
- If the system consists of more than two charged particles, we can obtain the total
potential energy of the system by calculating U for every pair of charges and
summing the terms algebraically.
+ For example, the total potential energy of the system of three charges:
25.4. Obtaining the Value of the Electric Field from the Electric
Potential
- The potential difference between two points a distance :
- If (25.17)
- Electric potentials at different positions along the x-direction can be measured
easily with a voltmeter and a meterstick.  A graph of V versus x can be obtained.
 The slope of a graph of V versus x at a given point provides the magnitude of
the electric field at that point. (Figure in board)
- Moving through a displacement along an equipotential surface 
  This result shows that the equipotential surfaces must always be
perpendicular to the electric field lines passing through them.
25.4. Obtaining the Value of the Electric Field from the Electric
Potential
- If the charge distribution creating an electric field has spherical symmetry such
that the volume charge density depends only on the radial distance r, the electric
field is radial.  
- In general, the electric potential is a function of all three spatial coordinates:

25.5. Charge Distributions Electric Potential Due to Continuous
* The first method:
- The electric potential at some point due to the
charge element :
where r is the distance from the charge element to

point .
- The total potential at point P:
* The second method:

The second method for calculating the electric potential is used if the electric field
is already known from other considerations such as Gauss’s law. If the charge
distribution has sufficient symmetry, we first evaluate E using Gauss’s law and
then substitute the value obtained into Equation 25.3 to determine the potential
difference between any two points. We then choose the electric potential V to be
zero at some convenient point.
a/ Electric Potential Due to a Finite Line of Charge
- The potential at P due to one segment of the rod at an
arbitrary position x:
- The total potential at P:
b/ Electric Potential Due to a Uniformly Charged Ring
- The magnitude of the electric field at point P:

c/ Electric Potential Due to a Uniformly Charged Disk
- The amount of charge on a ring of radius and width :
- The total potential at P:
- The magnitude of the electric field at point P:

25.6. Electric Potential Due to a Charged Conductor
- When a solid conductor in equilibrium carries a net charge:
+ The charge resides on the conductor’s outer surface.
+ The electric field just outside the conductor is
perpendicular to the surface and the field inside is zero.
- Along the surface path connecting two points A and B on
the surface of a charged conductor, .
 The potential difference between A and B:
* The surface of any charged conductor in electrostatic equilibrium is an

equipotential surface: every point on the surface of a charged conductor in
equilibrium is at the same electric potential.
* Furthermore, because the electric field is zero inside the conductor, the electric
potential is constant every where inside the conductor and equal to its value at the
surface.
- Because of the constant value of the potential, no work is required to move a

charge from the interior of a charged conductor to its surface.
25.6. Electric Potential Due to a Charged Conductor
* Consider a solid metal conducting sphere of radius R and total
positive charge Q:
- The electric field outside the sphere:
 The potential outside the sphere:
 The potential on the sphere surface:
- The electric field inside the sphere:
- Because the entire sphere must be at the same potential, the
potential at any point within the sphere must also be:
* When a net charge is placed on a spherical conductor, the surface charge density
is uniform.
* If the conductor is nonspherical, the surface charge density is high where the
radius of curvature is small and low where the radius of curvature is large.
 The electric field is large near convex points having small radii of curvature and
reaches very high values at sharp points.

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CHAPTER 3: ELECTRIC POTENTIAL

25.1. Electric Potential and Potential Difference

This force is conservative.

+ The electric potential energy of the charge–field system is changed by an

+ For a displacement of the charge from point A to point B,

The SI unit of the electric potential is Volt (V):

 : Electric field lines always point in the direction of

 In a system consisting of a positive charge and an

- The change in potential energy of the charge–field system:

 All points in a plane perpendicular to a uniform electric

* Equipotential surface is a surface consisting of a continuous distribution of points

where is angle between and .

(This means any displacement along the path from A to

W represents a transfer of energy across

- In general, the electric potential is a function of all three spatial coordinates:

where r is the distance from the charge element to

* The second method:

- The total potential at P:

b/ Electric Potential Due to a Uniformly Charged Ring

- The magnitude of the electric field at point P:

- The total potential at P:

- The magnitude of the electric field at point P:

* The surface of any charged conductor in electrostatic equilibrium is an

- Because of the constant value of the potential, no work is required to move a

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