Today’s agenda:

Electric potential of a charge distribution.

You must be able to calculate the electric potential for a charge distribution.

Equipotentials.
You must be able to sketch and interpret equipotential plots.

Potential gradient.
You must be able to calculate the electric field if you are given the electric potential.

Potentials and fields near conductors.

You must be able to use what you have learned about electric fields, Gauss’ law, and
electric potential to understand and apply several useful facts about conductors in
electrostatic equilibrium.
 Electric potential V of charge distributions

• last lecture: potentials of point charges

• now: potentials of extended charged objects
(line charges, sheet charges, spheres, cylinders, etc)

Two strategies:

• decompose distribution into charge elements, integrate their

contributions to V

• first find the electric field of the distribution (for example via
f
ò
Gauss’ law), then integrate Vf - Vi = - E × d
i
Example 1: electric potential between two parallel charged
plates.

• plates carry surface charge density s

• plates separated by distance d
• plates are large compared to d

E = | s | /e 0 , perpendicular to plates

_ d +
 plate 1 d is dx
DV = V1 - V0 = - ò E×d y
plate 0
x
d d E
DV = - ò ( -E dx ) = E ò dx = Ed z
0 0
d!
V is higher at the positive plate V0 V1
d
|DV|=Ed

The (in)famous “Mr. Ed equation!*”

DV
E= , or DV = Ed holds for constant field only
d

*Ó2004, Prof. R. E. Olson.

Example 2: A thin rod of length L located along the x-axis has a
total charge Q uniformly distributed along the rod. Find the
electric potential at a point P along the y-axis a distance d from
the origin.

Follow line charge recipe

1. Decompose line charge 2. Potential due to charge

element
dq=ldx
y
dq ldx *
l=Q/L dV = k =k
P r x2 + d2
r
d dq Q

x
x dx
L
*What are we assuming when we use this equation?
 3. Integrate over all charge elements

ldx
Q L dx
V= ò
L
dV V=ò k =k ò
rod 0
x +d
2 2 L 0 x2 + d2

y
Use integral:

P
r
ò
dx
x +d
2 2 (
= ln x + x 2 + d 2 )
d dq Q

dx
x kQ æ L + L2 + d 2 ö
x V= ln ç ÷
L L çè d ÷
ø
Include the sign of Q to get the correct sign for V.

note:
ln(a) – ln(b) = ln(a/b) What is the direction of V?
Example 3: Find the electric potential due to a uniformly
charged ring of radius R and total charge Q at a point P on the
axis of the ring.

dq
Every dq of charge on the
R r ring is the same distance
P x
from the point P.
x

Q dq dq
dV = k =k
r x2 + R2

kdq k
V=ò dV = ò = ò dq
ring ring
x2 + R2 x2 + R2 ring
 dq

R r

P x
x

k
ò
Q
V= dq
x +R
2 2 ring

kQ Homework hint: you

V= must derive this equation
x2 + R2 in tomorrow’s homework!

Could you use this expression for V to calculate E? Would you

get the same result as I got in Lecture 3?
Example 4: Find the electric potential at the center of a
uniformly charged ring of radius R and total charge Q.

dq
R
Every dq of charge on the
P
ring is the same distance
from the point P.

dq dq
dV = k =k
r R

kdq k kQ
V = ò dV = ò = ò dq =
ring ring R R ring R
Example 4: A disc of radius R has a uniform charge per unit
area s and total charge Q. Calculate V at a point P along the
central axis of the disc at a distance x from its center.

dq
we already know V for a ring
® decompose disk into rings
r = x 2 + r ¢2
r′
P x
• area of ring of radius r′ and
R x thickness dr’ is dA=2pr′dr’

• charge of ring is dq=s dA =

Q s(2pr′dr′) with s=Q/pR2

each ring is a distance r = x 2

+ r ¢ 2
from point P
 dq
dq
r′
r = x + r¢
2 2
dV = k
r
P x
R x k éës ( 2pr¢ dr¢ ) ùû
=
x 2 + r ¢2
Q
This is the (infinitesimal) potential
for an (infinitesimal) ring of radius r′.

On the next slide, just for kicks I’ll replace k by 1/4pe0.

 dq

r = x 2 + r ¢2
r′
P x
R x

Q 1 s2pr¢dr¢ s R r¢dr¢
V = ò dV = ò = ò
ring 4pe0 ring
x 2 + r¢2 2e0 0
x 2 + r ¢2

V=
s
2e0
x 2 + r ¢2
0
=
s
2e0
( x +R - x =
2 2 Q
)
2pe0 R 2
( x2 + R2 - x )
Q
s=
pR 2
 dq

r = x 2 + r ¢2
r′
P x
R x

V=
Q
2pe0 R 2
( x2 + R2 - x )
Could you use this expression for V to calculate E? Would you
get the same result as I got in Lecture 3?
Example 5: calculate the potential at a point outside a very long
insulating cylinder of radius R and positive uniform linear charge
density l.

Which strategy to use?

dq
• decomposition into charge elements and dV = k
r NO!
leads to complicated triple (volume) integral

f
• calculate E first, then use Vf - Vi = - ò E × d
i YES!
we already derived E using Gauss’ law

To be worked at the blackboard in lecture…

 r r=a l>0
E
dr

r=R R

λ f
Start with E = and DV = - ò E × d to calculate DVR ®a .
2πε 0 r i
 r r=a l>0
E
dr

r=R R

a a a
Va - VR = VaR = DVR ®a = - ò E × d = - ò E(r) × dr = - ò ( + E ) dr
R R R

æ l ö
a l adr l
òR r = - 2πε 0 ( ln r ) R
a
= -ò ç ÷ dr = -
R 2πε r 2πε 0
è 0 ø
 l l a l R
Va - VR = - ( ln a - ln R ) = - ln = ln
2πε 0 2πε 0 R 2πε 0 a

l R
If we let a be an arbitrary distance r, then Vr - VR = ln .
2πε 0 r

l R
If we take V=0 at r=R, then V ( r ) = ln .
2πε 0 r
Things to note:

V is zero at the surface of the cylinder

l R and decreases as you go further out. This
V (r) = ln .
2πε 0 r makes sense! V decreases as you move
away from positive charges.

l R
Vr - VR = ln
2πε 0 r

If we tried to use V=0 at r=¥ then

l ¥
Vr - V¥ = ln = ¥ (V is infinite at any finite r).
2πε 0 r
dq
That’s another reason why we can’t start with dV = k .
r
Things to note:

l R
Vr - VR = ln For l>0 and r>R, Vr – VR <0.
2πε 0 r

Our text’s convention is Vab = Va – Vb. This is explained on page

759. Thus VrR = Vr – VR is the potential difference between
points r and R and for r>R, VrR < 0.

In Physics, Vb®a = Va – Vb. I like the Physics notation because

it clearly shows where you start and end. But Vab has
mathematical advantages which we will see in the future.
Today’s agenda:
Electric potential of a charge distribution.
You must be able to calculate the electric potential for a charge distribution.

Equipotentials.
You must be able to sketch and interpret equipotential plots.

Potential gradient.
You must be able to calculate the electric field if you are given the electric potential.

Potentials and fields near conductors.

You must be able to use what you have learned about electric fields, Gauss’ law, and
electric potential to understand and apply several useful facts about conductors in
electrostatic equilibrium.
 Equipotentials
Equipotentials are contour maps of the electric potential.

http://www.omnimap.com/catalog/digital/topo.htm
Equipotential lines:
• lines of constant electric potential V
• visualization tool complementing electric field lines

Electric field is perpendicular to equipotential lines. Why?

Otherwise work would be required to move a charge along an

equipotential surface, and it would not be equipotential.

In static case (charges not moving), surface of conductor is

an equipotential surface. Why?

Otherwise charge would flow and it wouldn’t be a static case.

Here are electric field and equipotential lines for a dipole.

Equipotential lines are shown in red.

Today’s agenda:
Electric potential of a charge distribution.
You must be able to calculate the electric potential for a charge distribution.

Equipotentials.
You must be able to sketch and interpret equipotential plots.

Potential gradient.
You must be able to calculate the electric field if you are given the electric potential.

Potentials and fields near conductors.

You must be able to use what you have learned about electric fields, Gauss’ law, and
electric potential to understand and apply several useful facts about conductors in
electrostatic equilibrium.
 Potential Gradient
(Determining Electric Field from Potential)

Electric field vector points from + to -, this means from higher to

lower potentials.
b
Remember: Vb - Va = - ò E × d .
a

E
Inverse operation:

¶V
E=-
¶r

E is perpendicular to
the equipotentials
For spherically symmetric charge distribution:
dV
Er = -
dr
In one dimension:
dV
Ex = -
dx

In three dimensions:
¶V ¶V ¶V
Ex = - , Ey = - , Ez = - .
¶x ¶y ¶z

¶V ˆ ¶V ˆ ¶V ˆ
or E = - i - j - k = - ÑV
¶x ¶y ¶z
Example (from a Fall 2006 exam problem): In a region of
space, the electric potential is V(x,y,z) = Axy2 + Bx2 + Cx,
where A = 50 V/m3, B = 100 V/m2, and C = -400 V/m are
constants. Find the electric field at the origin

¶V
E x (0, 0, 0) = - = - ( Ay 2 + 2Bx + C ) = -C
¶x (0,0,0) (0,0,0)

¶V
E y (0, 0, 0) = - = -(2Axy) (0,0,0) = 0
¶y (0,0,0)

¶V
E z (0, 0, 0) = - =0
¶z (0,0,0)

æ Vö
E(0,0,0) = ç 400 ÷ ˆi
è mø
Today’s agenda:
Electric potential of a charge distribution.
You must be able to calculate the electric potential for a charge distribution.

Equipotentials.
You must be able to sketch and interpret equipotential plots.

Potential gradient.
You must be able to calculate the electric field if you are given the electric potential.

Potentials and fields near conductors.

You must be able to use what you have learned about electric fields, Gauss’ law, and
electric potential to understand and apply several useful facts about conductors in
electrostatic equilibrium.
Potentials and Fields Near Conductors

When there is a net flow of charge inside a conductor, the

physics is generally complex.

When there is no net flow of charge, or no flow at all (the

electrostatic case), then a number of conclusions can be
reached using Gauss’ Law and the concepts of electric fields
and potentials…
Eletrostatics of conductors

Electric field inside a conductor is zero.

Any net charge on the conductor lies on the outer surface.

Potential on the surface of a conductor, and everywhere

inside, is the same.

Electric field just outside a conductor must be perpendicular

to the surface.

Equipotential surfaces just outside the conductor must be

parallel to the conductor’s surface.