THE ELECTRIC POTENTIAL

Introduction
In the previous lecture we considered electrostatics in terms of the electric force. A different
approach is in terms of energy. This is particularly useful for situations where conversion to
different forms of energy (e.g. kinetic) occur.
In addition, for a number of situations, it is easier to find the electric potential (which is a scalar
quantity) due to a charge distribution than the E-field which is a vector quantity. The E-field can
subsequently be determined once the electric potential is known.

Electric Potential
The idea of electric potential is related to work done in carrying a charge from one point to another
in an electric field.
Let us consider a positive charge q0 in an electrostatic field of
strength E. The force experienced by the test charge is F = q0E
in the direction of E. We consider two points A and B in the
electric field. Work has to be done to move the test charge
from A to B against the direction of field. The work done in
moving a test charge q0 from A to B with a constant speed is
called the potential difference between the points.

If the electric potential difference between the points is V B-VA,

then it is defined by the equation
W
VB  V A  AB (1)
q0
where WAB is the work done by an agent to move the charge
from A to B.

The work WAB may be (i) positive, (ii) negative, or (iii) zero. In these cases the electric potential
at B will be (i) higher, (ii) lower, or (iii) the same as the electric potential at A.

We choose the point A to be at large (strictly at infinite) distance from all charges so that the
electric potential VA is zero at this infinite distance. With VA 0 and VB = V, we get

W
V  (2)
q0
Where W is the work that an external agent must do to move that test charge q0 from infinity to a
point in the electric field.

If q0 = 1, then V = W. Thus Electric potential at any point is defined as the work that must be done
to move a unit positive charge from infinity up to the point.

In terms of the electric field strength the potential difference between two point A and B is given be
B B B B
W 1 1
VB  VA  AB   F  dl   - q 0 E  dl    E  dl    Edl cos  (3)
q0 q0 A q0 A  

 
Where d l is an infinitesimal displacement along the particles path and  is the angle between F

an d l at each point along the path.

The mks unit of potential difference is joule/coulomb.

Electron volt (unit of energy)
Electron-volt (eV) is the unit of energy of a particle. 1 electron-volt (eV) is defined as the change in
kinetic energy of an electron that travels over a potential difference of 1 V.
The change in KE of an electron when transferred through a pd of 1 V is
KB-KA=WAB=-q(VB–VA)= -(-1.6×10-19 C)(1 V)=1.6×10-19 Joule Hence, 1 eV = 1.6 x10-19 J

Equi-potential surfaces
Equipotential surfaces are defined as the surfaces on which each point has the same electric
potential. The change in the potential between all points on this surface is equal to zero. This
implies that the direction of the electric field is perpendicular to the equipotential surfaces.
B B
VB  VA    E  dl    Edl cos 90 0  0
A A
Figure below shows a family of equipotential surfaces
associated with an electric field due to some charge
distribution. The work done by the electric field on a test
charge q as it moves from point I to point II is zero as the I II
end points are situated on the same equipotential surface. III IV
Again the work done by the electric field on the test charge V VII
as it moves from point III to point IV is also zero because VI VIII
of the same reason as stated above. However the work
done by electric field to transfer a test charge from point VII to point VIII is equal to the work
done by electric field to transfer the charge from V to VI as the end points of these two paths are
situated on the same set of equipotential surfaces.

In the following figures the electric fields are represented by solid lines where as the corresponding
equi-potential surfaces are represented by dotted lines.

Field lines

Equi-potential surfaces
Equi-potential surfaces Equi-potential surfaces in
in uniform field a field of point charge

Potential due to a point charge (q)

Let two points A and B be near to an isolated point charge q.
For simplicity, we assume that A, B and q lie on a straight
line. The test charge q0 is moved from A to B with a constant
speed. The potential difference between the points A and B is
then given by
B B B
VB  VA    E  dl    Edl cos180   Edl
0
(1)
A A A
Here E points to the right whereas dl, point to the left and the
angle between E and dl is  = 1800.
The charge q is at the origin and the distance is decreasing as
the test charge moves towards q.
So, dl = -dr. If rA and rB are the distances of the points A and
B from q, then equation (1) can be written as
B rB rB
VB  VA   Edl   Edl    Edr (2)
A rA rA
The electric field due to the charge q at a distance r is
1 q
E= (3)
4 o r 2
Hence,
r r
q B dr q  1 B q 1 1
VB  VA   
4o r r 2
    
4o  r  r 4o
  
 rB rA 
(4)
A A

Le the reference point A be at infinity (rA) so that VA = 0 and letting VB V at rB = r, we get

q 1 1  1 q
V    (5)
4o  r r  4o r

 If the charge q is positive, the potential increases with a decreasing distance r.

 The electric field points away from a positive charge, and we conclude that the electric field
points from regions with a high electric potential towards regions with a low electric potential.

Electric Potential due to a collection of charges

According to superposition principal the electric potential due to a collection of charges is equal to
the sum of the potentials created at a given point by each of the charges. If q1, q2, q3 …….qn are n
number of charges at distances r1, r2, r3……rn respectively, then the resultant potential for these
charges is
1 q1 1 q2 1 q3 1 qn
V      (zero at infnity )
4o r1 4o r2 4o r3 4o rn
n
1 qi
 r
4o i 1 i
Here, ri is the radial distance of the point from the charge qi.

The Potential and Field of a Dipole

We consider an electric dipole consisting of two charges +q and –q separated by a distance 2a. The
point P is at a distance r from the midpoint of the dipole and makes an angle  with the dipole axis.
r1 and r2 are the distances of the charges from the point P respectively. The resultant potential at
point P is the sum of the potentials generated by each of the two charges:
1 q 1 q q  r2  r1 
V      (1)
4o r1 4o r2 4o  r1r2 

Figure: The electric dipole.

If the point P is far away from the dipole (r>>2a) we can make the approximation that r1 and r2 are
parallel. In this case r1  r2  r and r2  r1  2a cos .
The electric potential at P can now be rewritten as

q 2a cos  2aq cos  p cos 

V     (2)
4o r 2
4o r 2
4o r 2

where p is the dipole moment of the charge distribution.

Electric potential due to a disk of charge

The figure shows a uniformly charged circular disk of radius R whose surface charge density is .
The point P is at a distance z from the disk along its central axis.

We divide the disk into concentric flat rings. Such a ring has the radius r and radial width dr. The
charge element on the ring is
dq   dA   (2 r dr ) (1)
All parts of this charge element are at the distance r   r 2  z 2 from the point P. So the electric
potential dV due to this charged ring is given by
 2 rdr 
dV 
1 dq

1
4o r 2  z 2 4o r 2  z 2  4 o
 r 2  z 2  2 2rdr
1
(2)

We can now find E by integrating Eq. 2 over the surface of the disk with respect to the variable r
from r = 0 to r = R. z remains constant during this process. We get

 r  z2 
R 1
V   dV  2 2
2rdr (3)
4 o 0

Let, x  ( z 2  r 2 ) , so that dx = 2rdr. x = z2 when r = 0, and x = z2+R2 when r = R.

The potential is then becomes
V 
 z  R  12

4 o z
2 2

x dx 
2

4 o
2 x   z2 R2
z2 

2 o
 z 2
 R2  z  (4)

Equation (4) is valid for all values of z.

(a) When P is at a large distance from the center of the disk (z>>R), then the quantity z 2  R 2
1
can be expanded by binomial theorem (1 + x)n = 1 + nx + n(n-1) x2 …….. and neglecting the
2
higher order terms
1
 R2  2
 1 R2  R2
z  R  z1  2 
2 2
 z1  2
      
  z  (5)
 z   2 z  2z
The potential then becomes
  1 R2   R 2 R 2 q
V  z   z     (6)
2 o 2 z  4 o z 4o z 4o z
2
where, q = (R ) is the total charge on the disk.

(b) At the center of the disk, z = 0. So the electric potential is given by

  2 
 z  R  2  z  
V  2
1
 R
1 q
(7)
2 o   2 o 2o R

Electric Potential energy of two point charge

Let us consider a test charge q0 is moving in any electric field caused by a single stationary point
charge q, then the work done on the test charge by the electric field to move from A to B is given
by
B B
W AB   F  dl 
A
 F dl cosφ
A
(1)

The electric force on the test charge at an arbitrary distance r is

1 qqo
F (2)
4o r 2
Considering the charges having same sign and the movement occurring along a radial path from rA
distance to rB distance then dl cos = dr. Work done is then given by
qqo  1  B qqo  1 1 
rB r r
1 qqo qqo B dr
WAB  
4o rA r 2 4o  r  rA 4o  rA rB 
dr      (3)
rA
4o r 2
Hence the change in potential energy as the charge moves from A to B is
qqo  1 1
U B  U A   WAB      (4)
4o  rA rB 
Considering the initial point a at infinity where potential energy is zero, the final potential energy at
the B point is
1 qqo
U  (5)
4o r
Now the electric potential at the position of the q0 charge is given by

U 1 q
V   (6)
q0 4o r

Now the electric potential energy and electric potential both are scalar quantity and their signs
depend on the signs of the charges involved
Problems.
1. Four point charges q1 = 12 nC, q2 = -24 nC, q3= 31 nC and q4 = 17 nC are placed at the corners
of a square. The side of the cube is d 1.3 m. Calculate the electric potential at its center.
1 4 qi 1  q1 q 2 q q 
V   Vi  
q1 d q2
    3  4
i 4o i 1 ri 4o  r1 r2 r3 r4 
 9 9 9 9
 d o d

 9 x 10 9
 12 x 10   24 x 10  31 x 10  7 x 10 
 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 
 2 2 2 2  q3 d q4
 254.5 V
2. What must be the magnitude of an isolated positive point charge be for the electric potential at
10 cm from the charge to be +100 volts? (Example 3.4, P-82)

3. Three point charges q1 = 4 nC, q2 = -4 nC, and q3=4 nC are placed at three corners of a square.
The side of the square is 20 cm. Find the potential at the fourth corner of the cube. ((Example
3.5, P-82).

4. Two protons in a nucleus of U238 are 6.0×10-15 meter apart. What is their mutual electric
potential energy? (Exercise 19, P-99)

5. Three charges +4q, +2q and +q are placed in the three corners of a triangle. The sides of the
triangle are same and is 10 cm. What is their mutual potential energy? Here q=1.0×10-7 C.
(Example 3.8, P-84)

6. A spherical drop of water carrying a charge of 3×10 -6 coul has a potential of 500 volts at its
surface. (i) What is the radius of the drop? (ii) If two such drops of the same charge and radius
combine to form a single spherical drop, what is the potential at the surface of the new drop
formed? (Example 3.11, P-87)