GENERAL PHYSICS 2

THIRD QUARTER
WEEK 3

ELECTRIC POTENTIAL ENERGY

Q2
+
Suppose you have two positive charges Q 1 and Q2, and they
are separated by a short distance r. Work is required to overcome
r
the repulsion between the two positive charges to hold them
together in this way. That amount of work gives the system of two
charges electric potential energy U. This means that the charges
+ have stored energy. If for whatever reason they are let loose, they
Q1 will immediately move away from each other, converting their
potential energy to kinetic energy as they go.
Putting two point charges
together requires work.
Fe

Q2

+
Q1
r
+

Work is needed to overcome the repulsive force Fe.

Assuming that initially, the only charge present is Q 1, and then we pull in Q2 from
somewhere far away. This requires work because of the repulsion of Q 1. The closer Q2 gets,
the greater the repulsion. For example, if Q 2 is initially at point P, there is a repulsive force
exerted on it radially outward, pushing it away. Work has to be done to overcome this
force by applying an opposite but equal force Fe. In this case, we are doing positive work.
If we move Q2 from point P to where it is now, then the work done is

W = F er

We can substitute Fe from Coulomb`s law to the equation for work:

kQ1 Q 2 kQ 1 Q 2
W= 2
r=
r r

Thus, the work done in bringing two charges closer together from infinity to where
they are separated by the distance r is:

(1)
K Q1 Q 2
W=
r
Work is expressed in joules (J). It is a scalar quantity. This is also the amount of
electric potential energy stored in the system of two charges:
(2)
K Q1 Q2
U=
r
 If there are more than three charges grouped together, the work done in assembling
the charges can also be calculated using equation 2. Assuming the three charges are
shown in Figure 2.3, the electric potential energy of the system U is:
(3)
Q1 Q2 Q2 Q3 Q3 Q1
U =k ( + + )
r 12 r 23 r 31

In other words, we calculate the work done by bringing the charges together, two at
a time. Some of the results may be positive work, and some may be negative. In the end,
we add them all together (signs included) to get the total work done in bringing the three
charges together.
Q3
+
r31

Q1 +

r23

r12
-
Q2

It takes work to assemble a group of charges

Work and electric potential energy (EPE) can be positive, negative, or even zero. If
both charges are positive or both negative, then the work, and therefore the electric
potential energy of the system, is positive. But if the charges have opposite signs, then the
work done and the electric potential energy are both negative. And if the charges are very
far apart, their potential energy is zero.
Electric fields, like gravitational fields, are conservative fields. Electrostatic force is a
conservative forces. This means that the work done inside the field is independent of the
path. It does not matter if Q2 arrived where it is at by following a straight line or by
following a squiggly line. As long as it got to where it is a distance r away from Q 1, then the
potential energy is the same.

Example:
Calculate the electric potential energy for the group of charges shown in Figure 2.4.
The charges are Q1 = 5nC, Q2 = 10nC, and -5nC.

Q3 -

65 cm 65 cm

+ +
Q1 50 cm Q2
Solution:
To find the electric potential energy of the system, we take each charge and pair it
with every other charge, repeating the process until we have accounted for every possible
pairing. Also, we need to determine the corresponding separation r for every pairing.

From Equation 3,
Q1 Q2 Q2 Q3 Q3 Q1
U E=k ( + + )
r 12 r 23 r 31
9 m2
¿( 9 X 10 N . 2 )¿
C
U E=−1.38 x 10−7 J

This means that it will take this much work to put these three charges together in
the arrangement in Figure 2.4.

ELECTRIC POTENTIAL
We have seen that work is required to bring charged particles together. Suppose we
have a charge +Q and we bring a test charge q (a smaller, positive charge) from to a point
nearby, a distance r. Thus, the pair of charges will have an EPE given by Equation 2:
kQq
U=
r
This EPE is equal to the work done in bringing q to that point.
While electric potential energy depends on how much charge q is carrying, there is
an electrical quantity that does not take into account the amount of charge on q. The
electric potential V at a point is defined as the work done per unit charge in bringing that
charge from infinity to the point in question.
W
V=
q

This is the definition of electric potential. And because of this definition, we get the unit
per coulomb (J/C) which is also called volts (V). Like work and EPE, electric potential (or
simply potential) is also a scalar quantity.
We can substitute Equation 4 to Equation 5.
W kQq kQ
V= = =
q rq r
This gives us another way of calculating the electric potential.
kQ
V=
r
Potential may be positive or negative depending on Q. If the charge Q is positive, then the
potential around it is positive everywhere; if it is negative, then the potential around it is
negative everywhere.