1.

Electrical Potential Energy (PEE)

To carry a charge q from infinity to a certain work in the amount qV must be done on
the charge. This work appears as electrical potential energy (PEE) stored in the charge.
Similarly, when a charge q is carried through a potential difference V, work in the
amount qV must be done on the charge. This work results in a change qV in PEE of the
charge.
For a potential rise, V will be positive and the PEE will increase. But for a potential
drop, V will be negative and the PEE of the charge will decrease.
It is given by;

Where 𝑤𝐴𝐵 =work done by a conservative force can be reinterpreted as the negative of
the change in a potential energy associated with that force.
Note
Electric potential energy is defined as the total potential energy a unit charge will
possess if located at any point in the outer space
.
APPLICATION
A proton is released from rest at x = 22.00 cm in a constant electric field with
magnitude 1.50 × 103 N/C, pointing in the positive x - direction. (a) Calculate the
change in the electric potential energy associated with the proton when it reaches
x=5.00 cm. (b) An electron is now fired in the same direction from the same position.
What is the change in electric potential Electrical Energy and Capacitance?
energy associated with the electron if it reaches x=12.0 cm? (c) If the direction of the
electric field is reversed and an electron is released from rest at x=3.00 cm, by how
much has the electric potential energy changed when the electron reaches x =7.00 cm?
SOLUTION
a) Calculate the change in the electric potential energy associated with the proton
 b) Find the change in electric potential energy associated with an electron fired
from x =-0.020 0 m and reaching x =0.120 m.

c) Find the change in potential energy associated with an electron traveling from
x = 3.00 cm to x =7.00 cm if the direction of the electric field is reversed.

2. The electric potential difference ∆V (Potential difference)

The electric potential difference ∆V between points A and B is the change in electric
potential energy as a charge q moves from A to B divided by the charge q;
PE
V = V B − V A =
q
3. Alternatively, the electric potential difference between point A and point B is the work
done against electrical forces in carrying a unit positive test-charge from A to B. The
work W done in transporting a charge q from one-point A to a second B is;
W = q (V B − V A ) = qV
4. The SI unit is Joules per Coulomb, or volt (J/C, or V)
Note
The electric potential, or voltage, is the difference in potential energy per unit charge
between two locations in an electric field. When we talked about electric field, we
chose a location and then asked what the electric force would do to an imaginary
positively charged particle if we put one there.
Electric potential by a point charge
𝑞
V=𝐾𝑒
𝑟
Applications
In atom smashers (also known as cyclotrons and linear accelerators) charged particles
are accelerated in much the same way they are accelerated in TV tubes: through
potential differences. Suppose a proton is injected at a speed of 1.00 × 106 m/s
between two plates 5.00 cm apart, as shown in Figure below. The proton subsequently
accelerates across the gap and exits through the opening. (a) What must the electric
potential difference be if the exit speed is to be 3.00× 106 m/s? (b) What is the
electric field between the plates, assuming it’s constant? The positive x - direction is
to the right.
Solution
a. Find the electric potential yielding the desired exit speed of the proton.
Apply conservation of energy, writing the potential energy in terms of the
electric potential:
Solve the energy equation for the change in potential:
Substitute the given values, obtaining the necessary potential difference:

b. What electric field must exist between the plates? Solve Equation 16.3 for
the electric field and substitute:
 3. Electrical Potential due a Point Charge
The electric potential created by a point charge q at any distance r from the charge is
given by;
q
V = ke
r
4. This equation shows that the electric potential or work required to move a test charge
from infinity to a distance r from a positive point charge q increases as the positive test
charge moves closer to q.
The electric potential of two or more charges is obtained by applying the superposition
principle which states that the total electric potential at some point P due to severalpoint
charges is the algebraic sum of the electrical potential due to the individual charge.
Application
A 5.00-𝜇𝐶 point charge is at the origin, and a point charge 𝑞2 =-2.0𝜇𝐶 is on the X-axis
at (3.00,0) m, as shown in the figure below.
A. If the electric potential is taken to be zero at infinity, Find the electric potential
due to these charges at point p with coordinates (0,4.00).
B. How much work is required to bring a third point charge of 4.00𝜇c from infinity
to P?

Solutions

A. Find the electric potential at point P. Calculate the electric potential at P due to the 5.00
- 𝜇C charge:
 Find the electric potential at P due to the 22.00-mC charge:

Sum the two quantities to find the total electric potential at P:

B. Find the work needed to bring the 4.00-mC charge from infinity to P. Apply the work
– energy theorem.
 4 Electric Potential and Electric Field

Suppose that in a certain region the electric field is uniform and is in the x-direction. Call its
magnitude Ex. Because Ex is the force on a unit positive test-charge, the work done in moving the test-
charge through a distance x is (from W = Fxx);

V = Ex x

The field between two large, parallel, oppositely charged metal plates is uniform. We can therefore
use this equation to relate the electric field E between the plates to the plate separation d, and their
potential difference V. For parallel plates;

V = Ed

5 Equipotential
Equipotential Points: If the points in an electric field are all at the same electric
potential, then they are known as the equipotential points. If these points are
connected by a line or a curve, it is known as an equipotential line. If such points lie
on a surface, it is called an equipotential surface. Further, if these points are
distributed throughout a space or a volume, it is known as an equipotential volume.
 Work done in equipotential surfaces.
The work done in moving a charge between two points in an equipotential surface is
zero. If a point charge is moved from point VA to VB, in an equipotential surface, then
the work done in moving the charge is given by
W = q0(VA –VB)
As VA – VB is equal to zero, the total work done is W = 0.
Note
1. No network is required to move a charge between two points that are at the same
electric potential. In mathematical terms this result says that W = 0 whenever
𝑉𝐵 = 𝑉𝐴
2. It follows that the electric potential is a constant everywhere on the surface of a
charged conductor in equilibrium.

Applications
1. A charged particle (q =1.4 mC) moves a distance of 0.4 m along an equipotential
surface of 10 V, Calculate the work done by the field during this motion.
Solution:
The work done by the field is given by the expression
W = -qΔV
Since ΔV = 0, for equipotential surfaces, the work done is zero, W = 0.
2. A positive particle of charge 1.0 C accelerates in a uniform electric field of 100
V/m. The particle started from rest on an equipotential plane of 50 V. After t =
0.0002 seconds, the particle is on an equipotential plane of V = 10 volts. Determine
the distance travelled by the particle.
Solution:
The work done in moving a charge in an equipotential surface is given by
W = -qΔV
Substituting the values, we get
W = (-1.0, C) (10V – 50V) = 40 J
We know that, the work done in moving a charge in an electric field:
W = qEd
40 = (1.0) (100)d
d = 0.4m
6 Electron volt
The electron volt is defined as the kinetic energy that an electron gains when
accelerated through a potential difference of 1 V.
an electric charge is moved through a potential difference, whether by passing
through a battery or in an electron gun, it gains energy. The energy it gains is given by
the formula:
Energy (Joules) = Charge (Coulombs) x Potential difference (volts).
Therefore a charge of 10C moving through a potential difference of 6V gains 60
J of energy.

However when an electron (charge 1.6x10- 19C) moves through a potential difference
of 6V the energy gained is very small (9.6x10-19 J.

It is therefore convenient to express energies in this range using an alternative (non

SI) unit called the electronvolt (eV).
Therefore, one electronvolt is the energy gained by an electron moving through a
potential difference of 1V. i.e. 1ev=1.6× 10−19 .

7 Capacitors
A capacitor is a device used in a variety of electric circuits, such as to tune the
frequency of radio receivers, eliminate sparking in automobile ignition systems, or
store short-term energy for rapid release in electronic flash units. Figure below shows
a typical design for a capacitor. It consists of two parallel metal plates separated by a
distance d. Used in an electric circuit, the plates are connected to the positive and
negative terminals of a battery or some other voltage source. When this connection is
made, electrons are pulled off one of the plates, leaving it with a charge of +Q, and
are transferred through the battery to the other plate, leaving it with a charge of -Q, as
shown in the figure. The transfer of charge stops when the potential difference across
the plates equals the potential difference of the battery. A charged capacitor is a
device that stores energy that can be reclaimed when needed for a specific application.
The capacitance C of a capacitor is the ratio of the magnitude of the charge on either
conductor (plate) to the magnitude of the potential difference between the conductors
(plates):

SI unit: farad (F) =coulomb per volt (C/V)