ELECTRIC POTENTIAL

The work done per unit positive charge in bringing a test charge from
infinity to that point against the electrostatic force.

A B
 ELECTRIC POTENTIAL
It is a scalar quantity

The SI unit of potential is volt (V), which is

equal to joule per coulomb (J/C).

1 volt represents the potential difference

when 1 joule of work is done to move 1
coulomb of charge between two points in an
electric field.
 ELECTROSTATIC POTENTIAL
electrostatic potential 𝑉 due to a point charge 𝑞 at a
distance 𝑟 from the charge is given by:

r : Represents the distance from the point

charge to the point where the potential is
being calculated

r
q A
 KEY PROPERTIES
The potential decreases as with distance, while
the electric field decreases as

The potential is positive for positive charges and

negative for negative charges

The potential at infinity is taken to be zero (our

reference point)
 QUESTION
Calculate the potential at a distance of 0.5 m from a charge of C.
 ELECTRIC POTENTIAL DIFFERENCE
The work done per unit positive charge in bringing a test
charge from one point to another point against the
electrostatic force.

The SI unit of electrostatic potential

difference is the volt (V) .

A B
 PROPERTIES OF
ELECTROSTATIC POTENTIAL
Scalar Quantity: The potential difference is a
scalar quantity and does not have direction, only
magnitude.

Independent of Path: In an electrostatic field, the

potential difference between two points depends
only on the position of the points and not on the
path taken by the charge.

This is because the electrostatic force is

conservative
Work Done: It measures the work required to move a unit positive
charge between two points.

A positive potential difference implies work is done against the

field, while a negative potential difference implies the field does
work.
 RELATION BETWEEN ELECTRIC
FIELD AND POTENTIAL
In one dimension, this simplifies to:

This means that the electric field points in the

direction of decreasing potential.

A common mistake is to forget the negative

sign in the relation between electric field and
potential.

The electric field points from high potential to

low potential, not the other way around.
 PHYSICAL SIGNIFICANCE
If the potential at point A is higher than at point B,
positive charges will naturally move from A to B

The potential difference - represents the work done

per unit charge in moving from B to A

When charges move in a potential difference, their

electric potential energy changes, which can be
converted to other forms of energy (as in electric
circuits)

The path taken by a charge moving in an electrostatic

field doesn't matter for calculating work done or change
in potential energy
 POTENTIAL DUE TO
AN ELECTRIC DIPOLE
For an electric dipole with dipole moment
(where 2a is the separation between charges i.e AB),
the potential at a point r (where ) is:

is the angle between the dipole axis and

P
the position vector

A B
.o

+q a a -q
M
 KEY POINTS

The potential of a dipole decreases as with

distance .

The potential is maximum along the dipole axis

( or )

The potential is zero in the plane

perpendicular to the dipole axis
 POTENTIAL DUE TO
SYSTEM OF CHARGES
For a system of charges, the total electric
potential at a point P is the algebraic sum of
the potentials due to individual charges.

P
 QUESTION-1)
Calculate the potential at the origin due to charges C at
(0, 0, 2) m and C at (0, 0, -1) m.
 EQUIPOTENTIAL SURFACES
An equipotential surface is a surface where the electrostatic
potential has the same value at all points.
 KEY PROPERTIES
(i) No work is done in moving a charge along an equipotential surface

(ii) Electric field lines are perpendicular to equipotential surfaces

(iii) Equipotential surfaces helps to distinguish b/w regions
of strong and weak electric fields :- because the
spacing between them indicates field strength: closer
spacing means a stronger field.

+
(iv) Equipotential surfaces cannot intersect (as a point cannot
have two different potential values)

(v) For a point charge, equipotential surfaces are concentric

spheres
(vi) For a uniform electric field, equipotential surfaces are
parallel planes perpendicular to the field
 PHYSICAL SIGNIFICANCE
(i) The concept of equipotential surfaces helps in
visualizing the variation of potential in space.

(ii) The closer the equipotential surfaces, the stronger

the electric field.

(iii) The surface of a conductor in electrostatic

equilibrium is an equipotential surface.
 POTENTIAL ENERGY OF A
SYSTEM CHARGES
The potential energy of a system of charges is the work done in
assembling the configuration of charges constitution the system from an
initial state where they are infinitely separated to that point.

=| - |

For a system of two charges and separated by a distance

 QUESTION-2)
Potential Energy of a System of Charges q1 , q2 and q3 placed at point
A,B & C whose position vector are , & .
 POTENTIAL ENERGY OF A POINT CHARGE
IN AN EXTERNAL ELECTRIC FIELD
The potential energy 𝑈 of a point charge 𝑞 placed at a
point in an external electric field 𝐸 is given by:

𝑈=𝑞𝑉

For a uniform electric field, where 𝑉=𝐸𝑑 (with 𝐸 being the

electric field and 𝑑 being the displacement from a
reference point), the potential energy becomes:

𝑈=𝑞𝐸𝑑
POTENTIAL ENERGY FOR A
SYSTEM OF TWO CHARGE IN AN
EXTERNAL ELECTRIC FIELD
 FOR A SYSTEM OF
MULTIPLE CHARGES
Where is the potential at the position of charge
due to all other charges.

This formula is derived by considering the work done in

bringing the charges to their respective positions
against the electric forces between them.

The factor of 1/2 is included to avoid double-counting

the pairwise interactions between charges.
 QUESTION-3)
Calculate the potential at the origin due to charges C
at (0, 0, 2) m and C at (0, 0, -1) m.
 POTENTIAL ENERGY OF AN
ELECTRIC DIPOLE IN AN
EXTERNAL ELECTRIC FIELD
An electric dipole in an external uniform electric field also has
potential energy due to the interaction between the field and the
dipole moment 𝑝. The potential energy of the dipole is given by
𝑈=−𝑝𝐸cos⁡𝜃

For a dipole , the potential energy is minimum when the

dipole is aligned with the electric field (𝜃=0) and maximum
when the dipole is perpendicular to the field (𝜃=90).

E
+q

-q
 ELECTROSTATICS
OF CONDUCTORS
Conductors:- Materials that allow the free flow of
electric charges (usually electrons) through them. In a
conductor, the outer electrons of atoms are loosely
bound and can move easily within the material when an
electric field is applied.

In electrostatic equilibrium, a conductor exhibits several

important properties:

(i) The electric field inside a conductor is zero

(ii) Any excess charge on a conductor resides on its surface

(iii) The electric field just outside a charged conductor is
perpendicular to its surface

(iv) The surface of a conductor is an equipotential surface

(v) The potential inside a conductor is constant and equal to its surface
potential
 CAPACITORS
A capacitor is a device designed to store electric
charge and energy. It consists of two conductors
separated by an insulating medium or vacuum.

+ - +
+ - +
+ - +
+ - +
+ + - +
 CAPACITANCE
The capacitance of a capacitor is defined as the ratio
of the magnitude of charge on either conductor to the
potential difference between them:

The SI unit of capacitance is farad (F), which is equal to

coulomb per volt (C/V).
 FACTORS AFFECTING
CAPACITANCE
The capacitance depends on:
(i) The size and shape of the conductors

(ii) The separation between them

(iii) The nature of the insulating medium

(dielectric) between them
 PHYSICAL SIGNIFICANCE
(i) Capacitance is a measure of a capacitor's ability
to store charge.

(ii) A capacitor with a large capacitance can store

more charge for a given potential difference.

(iii) Typical capacitance values range from

picofarads (pF) to microfarads (μF).
 PARALLEL PLATE
CAPACITOR
A parallel plate capacitor consists of two parallel
conducting plates of area A separated by a distance d.

+q -q

A A

+
d
 CAPACITANCE FORMULA FOR
PARALLEL PLATE CAPACITOR
For a parallel plate capacitor with vacuum between
the plates:

Where:

is the permittivity of free space

A is the area of each plate
d is the separation between the plates
 QUESTION-4)
Calculate the capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor with plates of area
500 cm² separated by 0.5 cm.
 ELECTRIC FIELD
AND POTENTIAL
The electric field between the plates is uniform
and given by:

Where is the surface charge density on the

plates.
 DIELECRICS
Dielectrics are insulating materials that do not
conduct electricity but can be polarized when
placed in an external electric field.

In simple terms, a dielectric is a substance in

which an electric field can induce dipole
moments, but it does not allow the free
movement of charge like conductors do.
 POLARISATION
IN DIELECTRICS
When a dielectric material is placed in an external electric field,
its molecules become polarized, meaning that their positive
and negative charges get slightly separated. This phenomenon
is called polarisation.

Polarization (P) is the alignment of electric dipoles in the

material due to the external field. It is defined as the dipole
moment per unit volume of the dielectric.
+ +
+
|
- -
E=0

+ +
+
|
- -
+ +
+
|

- -
 EFFECT OF POLARISATION
1. Reduced Electric Field: the induced dipoles
produce an internal electric field that opposes the
external field. This reduces the overall field strength
within the dielectric.

2. Dielectric Constant (Relative Permittivity):

where is the external electric field and 𝐸 is the

reduced field within the dielectric.
3. Capacitance Increase: When a dielectric is placed between the
plates of a capacitor, it increases the capacitor's ability to store
charge by reducing the electric field and increasing capacitance:

where is the capacitance without the dielectric.

 CAPACITANCE FORMULA FOR
PARALLEL PLATE CAPACITOR
For a parallel plate capacitor with vacuum between the plates:
 QUESTION-5)
A parallel plate capacitor has a capacitance of 5 pF. When a dielectric
of dielectric constant 4 is inserted between the plates, what is the new
capacitance ?
 COMBINATION OF
CAPACITORS
Capacitors can be combined in series or parallel to get
equivalent capacitance.

(i) Capacitors in Series

For capacitors connected in series, the equivalent
capacitance is:

V
(ii)In series:

The charge on each capacitor is the same

The potential differences add up:

The equivalent capacitance is less than the smallest individual

capacitanc
(iii)Capacitors in Parallel

For capacitors connected in parallel, the equivalent capacitance is:

V
(iv)In parallel:

The potential difference across each capacitor is the

same

The charges add up:

The equivalent capacitance is greater than the largest

individual capacitance
 APPLICATIONS
Series Combination: Used where higher voltage
handling is needed, like in high-voltage circuits, as
the total voltage is distributed across the
capacitors.

Parallel Combination: Used to increase the total

capacitance in circuits where more charge storage
is required, such as in power supply filters.
 QUESTION-5)
Calculate the equivalent capacitance of a 3 μF capacitor connected
in series with a 6 μF capacitor ?
 ENERGY STORED IN A CAPACITOR
When a capacitor is charged, energy is
stored in the electric field between its
plates.

Energy Formula
The energy stored in a capacitor is:
 ENERGY DENSITY
The energy per unit volume (energy
density) in the electric field is:

For a dielectric medium with dielectric

constant K :
 QUESTION-6)
Calculate the energy stored in a 5 μF capacitor charged to a
potential difference of 100 V.
 SUMMARY
(i) Potential due to a point charge:

(ii) Potential due to a dipole:

(iii) Relation between electric field and potential:

(iv) Potential energy of a system of two charges:

(v) Capacitance:
(vi) Capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor:

(vii) Effect of dielectric:

(viii) Capacitors in series:

(ix) Capacitors in parallel:

(x) Energy stored in a capacitor:

(xi) Energy density in an electric field:

 QUESTION-7)
A 600 pF capacitor is charged by a 200 V supply. It is then disconnected from
the supply and is connected to another uncharged 600 pF capacitor. How
much electrostatic energy is lost in the process?
 QUESTION-8)
A 12 pF capacitor is connected to a 50 V battery. How much electrostatic
energy is stored in the capacitor?
 QUESTION-9)
Three capacitors each of capacitance 9 pF are connected in series. What
is the total capacitance of the combination?
 QUESTION-10)
The electric potential V at any point in space is given V=20x3 volt,
where x is in meter. Calculate the electric intensity at point P=(1,0,2)
 QUESTION-11)
A spherical conducting shell of inner radius r₁ and outer radius r₂ has a charge
Q. A charge q is placed at the center of the shell. What is the surface charge
density on the (a) inner surface, (b) outer surface of the shell?
 QUESTION-12)
Two charges 2 μC and -2 μC are placed at points A and B 6 cm apart. What is
the electric potential at point P on the perpendicular bisector of AB at a
distance of 4 cm from the midpoint of AB?
 QUESTION-13)
A regular hexagon of side 10 cm has a charge 5 μC at each of its vertices.
Calculate the potential at the center of the hexagon.