Chapter 25 Electric Potential

1
 Brief Review of Some Physics Concepts
Definition
A force is conservative if & only if
the work done by that force on an object moving from one point to another
depends ONLY on the initial & final positions of the object, & is independent of
the particular path taken.
Example: Gravity
 Conservative Force: Another definition:
A force is conservative if the net work done by the force on an
object moving around any closed path is zero.
 Potential Energy:
Can only be defined for
Conservative
Forces!

The change in the Potential Energy is defined to be the negative of the

work done by the conservative force.

End of Brief Review!!

Electric Potential Energy

5
 Electrical Potential Energy
When a test charge is placed in an electric field, it experiences a force.

 F q E
e o
 The force is conservative.
If the test charge is moved in the field by some external agent, the work done by the field is the
negative of the work done by the external agent.
 is an infinitesimal displacement vector that is oriented tangent to a path through space.
ds
 The path may be straight or curved and the integral performed along this path is called
either a path integral or a line integral.

Section 25.1 6
 Electric Potential Energy, cont.
•The work done within the charge-field system by the electric field on the charge is

•As this work is done by the field, the potential energy of the charge-field system is
changed by

•For a finite displacement of the charge from A to B, the change in potential energy of the
system is

•Because the force is conservative, the line integral does not depend on the path taken by
the charge from A to B.

Section 25.1
 Electric Potential
• The potential energy per unit charge, U/qo, is the electric potential
U
V 
qo
• Both electrical potential energy and potential are scalar quantities

• The potential is characteristic of the field only (independent of the value of

qo) and has a value at every point in an electric field

• As a charged particle moves in an electric field, it will experience a change

in potential U B  
V     E  ds
qo A

• The infinitesimal displacement is interpreted as the displacement between two8

points in space rather than the displacement of a point charge.
 Electric Potential
• We often take the value of the potential to be zero at some convenient
point in the field,

• SI unit of potential difference is Volt (V): 1 V = 1 J/C

• The electron volt (eV) is defined as the energy that an electron gains
when accelerated through a potential difference of 1 V: 1 eV = 1.6 x 10-19 J

Alessandro Giuseppe
Antonio Anastasio
Volta 9
1745-1827
 Potential Difference in a Uniform Field
• The equations for electric potential can be simplified if the
electric field is uniform:
  B B

V  VB  V A    E  ds   E  ds   Ed
A A
• The negative sign indicates that the electric potential at
point B is lower than at point A

• Electric field lines always point in the direction of

decreasing electric potential

10
 Energy and the Direction of Electric Field
• When the electric field is directed downward, point B is
at a lower potential than point A

• When a positive test charge moves from A to B, the

charge-field system loses potential energy

• The system loses electric potential energy when the

charge moves in the direction of the field (an electric
field does work on a positive charge) and the charge
gains kinetic energy equal to the potential energy lost by
the charge-field system

11
 Energy and the Direction of Electric Field
• If qo is negative, then ΔU is positive

• A system consisting of a negative charge and an electric

field gains potential energy when the charge moves in
the direction of the field

• In order for a negative charge to move in the direction of

the field, an external agent must do positive work on the
charge

12
 Energy and Charge Movements

• A positive (negative) charge gains (loses) electrical

potential energy when it is moves in the direction
opposite the electric field

• If a charge is released in the electric field, it experiences a

force and accelerates, gaining kinetic energy and losing
an equal amount of electrical potential energy

• When the electric field is directed downward, point B is at

a lower potential than point A: a positive test charge
moving from A to B loses electrical potential energy

13
 Equipotentials
• Point B is at a lower potential than
point A

• Points B and C are at the same

potential, since all points in a plane
perpendicular to a uniform electric
field are at the same electric
potential

• Equipotential surface is a
continuous distribution of points
having the same electric potential

14
Problem

15
 Problem
An electric field is given by E = E0 j^, where E0 is a constant. Find the potential as a function
of position, taking V = 0 at y = 0.

16
 Potential of a Point Charge
• A positive point charge produces a field directed
radially outward

• The potential difference between points A and B

will be:
  B

V  VB  V A    E  ds
A
B B
q  q
   k e 2 rˆ  ds   k e  2 cos ds
A
r A
r
RB
qdr k e q
RB
1 1
 ke  2   ke q   
RA
r r RA  rB rA  17
 Potential of a Point Charge
• The electric potential is independent of the
path between points A and B

• It is customary to choose a reference potential

of V = 0 at rA = ∞

• Then the potential at some point r is:

q
V  ke
r
18
 Potential of a Point Charge

• A potential exists at some point in space whether or not there is a test

charge at that point

• The electric potential is proportional to 1/r while the electric field is

proportional to 1/r2

q
V  ke
r
19
 Potential of Multiple Point Charges
• The electric potential due to
several point charges is the sum
of the potentials due to each
individual charge

• This is another example of the

superposition principle

• The sum is the algebraic sum

qi
V  ke 
i ri 20
 Potential Energy of Multiple Point Charges
• V1: the electric potential due to q1 at P

• The work required to bring q2 from infinity to

P without acceleration is q2V1 and it is equal
to the potential energy of the two particle
system

q1q 2
P E  q 2V 1  k e
r 21
 Potential Energy of Multiple Point Charges
• If the charges have the same sign, PE is positive
(positive work must be done to force the two
charges near one another), so the charges
would repel

• If the charges have opposite signs, PE is

negative (work must be done to hold back the
unlike charges from accelerating as they are
brought close together), so the force would be
attractive

q1q 2
P E  q 2V 1  k e
r 22
 Finding E From V
 
dV   E  ds
• Assuming that the field has only an x component
dV
dV   E x dx Ex  
dx
• Similar statements would apply to the y and z components
V V V
Ex   Ey   Ez  
x y z
• Equipotential surfaces must always be perpendicular to the electric
field lines passing through them

23
 Equipotential Surfaces
• For a uniform electric field the equipotential
surfaces are everywhere perpendicular to the field
lines

• For a point charge the equipotential surfaces are a

family of spheres centered on the point charge

• For a dipole the equipotential surfaces are are

shown in blue

24
 Problem: 25.4

An electric dipole consists of two charges of equal magnitude and opposite sign
separated by a distance 2a as shown in Figure. The dipole is along the x axis and is
centered at the origin.
(A) Calculate the electric potential at point P on the y axis.

25
 Problem: 25.4

An electric dipole consists of two charges of equal magnitude and opposite sign
separated by a distance 2a as shown in Figure. The dipole is along the x axis and is
centered at the origin.
(B) Calculate the electric potential at point R on the +x axis.

26
 Problem: 25.4

An electric dipole consists of two charges of equal magnitude and opposite sign
separated by a distance 2a as shown in Figure. The dipole is along the x axis and is
centered at the origin.
(C) Calculate V and Ex at a point on the x axis far from the dipole.

27
 Potential for a Continuous Charge Distribution
• Consider a small charge element dq

• Treat it as a point charge

• The potential at some point due to this charge

element is dq
dV  k e
r
• To find the total potential: integration including
contributions from all the elements

• This value for V uses the reference of V = 0 when P

is infinitely far away from the charge distributions
dq
V  ke 
r28
 V From a Known E
• If the electric field is already known from other considerations, the
potential can be calculated using the original approach

B  
V    E  ds
A
• If the charge distribution has sufficient symmetry, first find the field
from Gauss’ Law and then find the potential difference between any
two points

• Choose V = 0 at some convenient point

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 Problem 25.5: Uniformly Charged Ring

(A) Find an expression for the electric potential at a

point P located on the perpendicular central axis of a
uniformly charged ring of radius a and total charge Q.

dq  k dq
V  ke  e
r x a
2 2

ke keQ


x a
2 2  dq
x a2 2

30
 Problem 25.5: Uniformly Charged Ring

(B) Find an expression for the magnitude of the

electric field at point P.

31
 Problem 25.6 : Electric Potential Due to a Uniformly Charged Disk

A uniformly charged disk has radius R and dq  dA   ( 2rdr )

surface charge density σ.
(A) Find the electric potential at a point P along
the perpendicular central axis of the disk.

dV 
k e dq k e 2rdr

x r
2 2
x r
2 2
R
2rdr
V  k e 
0 x r2 2

 k e 
R
d r 2
   2k e [ x  R  x ]
2 2

0 x2  r 2 32
 Problem 25.6 : Electric Potential Due to a Uniformly Charged Disk

(B) Find the x component of the electric field at a dq  dA   ( 2rdr )

point P along the perpendicular central axis of
the disk.

33
Practice Problem 25.7:

34
 Practice Problem

In an X-ray tube, a uniform electric field of 300 KN/C extends over a distance of 10
cm, from an electron source to a target; the field points from the target to the
source. Find the potential difference between source and target and the energy
gained by an electron as it accelerates from source to target (where its abrupt
deceleration produces X rays). Express the energy in both electronvolts and joules.

35
 Practice Problem:

An isolated, infinite charged sheet carries uniform surface charge density . Find
an expression for the potential difference from the sheet to a point a perpendicular
distance x from the sheet.

36
 Practice Problem

A charge +Q lies at the origin and -3Q at x = a. Find two points on the x-axis
where V = 0.

37
 Practice Problem:

An electric dipole consists of point charges , distance apart.

Find the potential at an arbitrary point P, and approximate for the case where the
distance to P is large compared with the charge separation.

38
 Practice Problem:

A long, straight power-line wire has radius 1.0 cm and carries line charge
density   2.6 C / m , Assuming no other charges are present, what’s the
potential difference between the wire and the ground, 22 m below?

39
 Practice Problem:

The figure shows three straight paths AB of the same length, each in a different
electric field. The field at A is the same in each. Rank the potential differences VAB
in increasing order.

V AB

40
 Potentials and Charged Conductors
• Electric field is always perpendicular to the
displacement ds, thus
 
E  ds  0
• Therefore, the potential difference between A and B
is also zero

• V is constant everywhere on the surface of a

charged conductor in equilibrium

• ΔV = 0 between any two points on the surface

41
 Potentials and Charged Conductors
• The surface of any charged conductor in
electrostatic equilibrium is an equipotential surface

• The charge density is high (low) where the radius of

curvature is small (large)

• The electric field is large near the convex points

(small radii of curvature)

• Because E = 0 inside the conductor, the electric

potential is constant everywhere inside the
conductor and equal to the value at the surface

42
 Potentials and Charged Conductors
• The charge sets up a vector electric field which is
related to the force

• The charge sets up a scalar potential which is

related to the energy

• The electric potential is a function of r

• The electric field is a function of r2

43
 Cavity in a Conductor
• With no charges inside the cavity, the electric field
inside the conductor must be zero

• The electric field inside does not depend on the charge

distribution on the outside surface of the conductor

• For all paths between A and B,

B  
VB  VA    E  ds  0
A

• Thus, a cavity surrounded by conducting walls is a

field-free region as long as no charges are inside the
cavity
44
 Practice Problem

A sphere of radius R carries negative charge of magnitude Q, distributed in a spherically

symmetric way. Find the escape speed for a proton at the sphere’s surface that is, the speed that
would enable the proton to escape to arbitrarily large distances starting at the sphere’s surface.

45
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