Chapter 22 : Electric potential

• What is electric potential?

• How does it relate to

potential energy?

• How does it relate to

electric field?

• Some simple applications

 Electric potential

• What does it mean

when it says “1.5 Volts”
on the battery?

• The electric potential

difference between the
ends is 1.5 Volts
Electric potential

1.5 V
230 V

100,000 V

So what is a volt?
 Electric potential
• The electric potential difference ∆𝑉𝑉 in volts
between two points is the work in Joules needed to
move 1 C of charge between those points

𝑊𝑊 = 𝑞𝑞 × ∆𝑉𝑉
W = work done [in J]
q = charge [in C]
∆V = potential difference [in V]

• ∆𝑉𝑉 is measured in volts [V] : 1 V = 1 J/C

 Electric potential
• The electric potential difference ∆𝑉𝑉 in volts
between two points is the work in Joules needed to
move 1 C of charge between those points

𝑊𝑊 = 𝑞𝑞 × ∆𝑉𝑉

The 1.5 V battery does

1.5 J of work for every
1 C of charge flowing
round the circuit
 Potential energy
• What is this thing called “potential”?

• Potential energy crops up everywhere in physics

 Potential energy
• Potential energy U is the energy stored in a system
(when work is done against a force)

• e.g. force of gravity …

𝐹𝐹 = 𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚
Work = Force x Distance

𝑊𝑊 = 𝐹𝐹 × ℎ
𝐹𝐹
= 𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚
ℎ
→ 𝑈𝑈 = 𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚
 Potential energy
• Potential energy may be released and converted
into other forms (such as kinetic energy)

Work is done,
increasing the
potential energy
 Potential energy
• Potential energy difference is the only thing that
matters – not the reference (or zero) level

• For example, applying conservation of energy to a

mechanics problem:

Final energy = Initial energy

𝐾𝐾𝐾𝐾𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 + 𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 = 𝐾𝐾𝐾𝐾𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 + 𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖
𝐾𝐾𝐾𝐾𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 = 𝐾𝐾𝐾𝐾𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 + (𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 −𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 )

Difference in potential energy

 Potential energy
• Potential energy difference doesn’t depend on the
path – only on the two points A and B
 Potential energy
• Potential energy U is the energy stored in a system
– second example

• e.g. stretching a spring … 𝐹𝐹 = 𝑘𝑘𝑘𝑘

Work = Force x Distance
Force is varying with distance!
𝐹𝐹
𝑊𝑊 = � 𝑘𝑘𝑘𝑘 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑
= 12𝑘𝑘𝑥𝑥 2
𝑥𝑥 → 𝑈𝑈 = 12𝑘𝑘𝑥𝑥 2
 Electric potential
• e.g. moving a charge through an electric field…
𝐹𝐹 𝐹𝐹 = −𝑞𝑞𝑞𝑞
𝑞𝑞
𝐸𝐸 (minus sign because the
∆𝑥𝑥 force is opposite to E)

Work = Force x Distance 𝑊𝑊 = 𝐹𝐹 ∆𝑥𝑥 = −𝑞𝑞𝑞𝑞 ∆𝑥𝑥

• Potential difference ∆𝑉𝑉 is work needed to move

1C of charge: 𝑊𝑊 = 𝑞𝑞 ∆𝑉𝑉
∆𝑉𝑉
• Equate: 𝑞𝑞 ∆𝑉𝑉 = −𝑞𝑞𝑞𝑞 ∆𝑥𝑥 𝐸𝐸 = −
∆𝑥𝑥
 Electric potential
∆𝑉𝑉
• Electric field is the gradient of potential 𝐸𝐸 = − ∆𝑥𝑥
High V Low V
𝐸𝐸 𝑉𝑉

𝑥𝑥
• Positive charges feel a force
from high to low potential

• Negative charges feel a force

𝑥𝑥 from low to high potential
Two parallel plates have - - -•- - - - - - - - - -
equal and opposite charge. A

Rank the indicated positions •B •D

+ + + + + + + +•
C
from highest to lowest ++++++++
electric potential.

1. A=C, B=D
2. A, B, C, D
3. C, D=B, A
4. A, B=D, C 0%
1
0%
2
0%
3
0%
4
 Electric potential
• Analogy with gravitational potential

Gravitational
potential difference
exerts force on mass

𝑉𝑉
𝑞𝑞
Electric potential
difference exerts
force on charge
𝑥𝑥
 Electric potential
∆𝑉𝑉
• Electric field is the gradient of potential 𝐸𝐸 = − ∆𝑥𝑥
High V Low V • The dashed lines are called
𝐸𝐸 equipotentials (lines of
constant V)

• Electric field lines are

perpendicular to equipotentials

• It takes no work to move a

charge along an equipotential
⃗ 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 =
(work done = 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 = 𝐹𝐹.
𝑞𝑞𝐸𝐸. 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 = 0)
 Electric potential
• Summary for two plates at potential difference V

𝐸𝐸 • Electric field is the potential

gradient

𝑉𝑉
𝐸𝐸 =
𝑑𝑑
• Work W to move charge q
from –ve to +ve plate

𝑊𝑊 = 𝑞𝑞 𝑉𝑉
𝑑𝑑
 Link to potential energy
• The electric potential difference ∆𝑉𝑉 between two
points is the work needed to move 1 C of charge
between those points

𝑊𝑊 = 𝑞𝑞 × ∆𝑉𝑉

• This work is also equal to the potential energy

difference ∆𝑈𝑈 between those points

∆𝑈𝑈 = 𝑞𝑞 × ∆𝑉𝑉

• Potential V = potential energy per unit charge U/q

An electron is placed at “X” on the
negative plate of a pair of charged
- - -•- - - - - -•- - - -
X D
parallel plates. For the maximum •B
work to be done on it, which point
+ + +•
+ + + + + + + +•
A C
should it be moved to? +++++

1. A
2. B
3. C
4. D
5. A or C 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

6. C or D 1 2 3 4 5 6
 Electric potential
• What is the electric potential near a charge +Q?

Work = Force x Distance

𝑘𝑘 𝑄𝑄 𝑞𝑞 Force is varying with distance, need integral!

𝐹𝐹 = 2
𝑥𝑥 𝑟𝑟 𝑟𝑟
𝑘𝑘 𝑄𝑄 𝑞𝑞 𝑘𝑘 𝑄𝑄 𝑞𝑞
𝑊𝑊 = � 𝐹𝐹 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 = � − 2 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 =
+q ∞ ∞ 𝑥𝑥 𝑟𝑟
𝑘𝑘 𝑄𝑄 𝑞𝑞
Potential energy 𝑈𝑈 =
𝑥𝑥 +Q 𝑟𝑟
𝑈𝑈 𝑘𝑘 𝑄𝑄
Electric potential 𝑉𝑉 = =
𝑞𝑞 𝑟𝑟
 Electric potential
• What is the electric potential near a charge +Q?

+q

𝑟𝑟 +Q
𝑘𝑘 𝑄𝑄
Electric potential 𝑉𝑉 =
𝑟𝑟
 Electric potential
Exercise: a potential difference of 200 V is applied across a
pair of parallel plates 0.012 m apart. (a) calculate E and draw
its direction between the plates.

The electric field is the gradient in potential

∆𝑉𝑉 200
𝐸𝐸 = = = 1.7 × 104 𝑉𝑉 𝑚𝑚−1 [𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 𝑁𝑁 𝐶𝐶 −1 ]
∆𝑥𝑥 0.012

𝑉𝑉 = 200 +ve plate

𝐸𝐸
𝑉𝑉 = 0 -ve plate
 Electric potential
Exercise: a potential difference of 200 V is applied across a
pair of parallel plates 0.012 m apart. (b) an electron is placed
between the plates, next to the negative plate. Calculate the
force on the electron, the acceleration of the electron, and the
time it takes to reach the other plate.

Force 𝐹𝐹 = 𝑞𝑞𝑞𝑞 = (−1.6 × 10−19 ) × (1.7 × 104 ) = −2.7 × 10−15 𝑁𝑁

−15
𝐹𝐹 2.7 × 10
𝐹𝐹 = 𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 Acceleration 𝑎𝑎 = = = 3.0 × 1015 𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −2
𝑚𝑚 9.1 × 10−31
+ve plate 2𝑑𝑑
𝑑𝑑 = 12𝑎𝑎𝑡𝑡 2 Time 𝑡𝑡 =
𝑎𝑎
𝐸𝐸
−𝑒𝑒 2 × 0.012
-ve plate 𝑡𝑡 =
3.0 × 1015 = 2.8 × 10−9 𝑠𝑠

e = 1.6 x 10-19 C; me = 9.1 x 10-31 kg

 Electric potential
Exercise: a potential difference of 200 V is applied across a
pair of parallel plates 0.012 m apart. (c) calculate the work
done on the electron as it travels between the plates.

The potential difference is the work done on 1C charge

Work 𝑊𝑊 = 𝑞𝑞𝑞𝑞 = 1.6 × 10−19 × 200 = 3.2 × 10−17 𝐽𝐽

+ve plate
𝐸𝐸
−𝑒𝑒
-ve plate
e = 1.6 x 10-19 C; me = 9.1 x 10-31 kg
 Chapter 22 summary
• Electric potential difference V is the work done
when moving unit charge: 𝑊𝑊 = 𝑞𝑞𝑞𝑞

• The electric potential energy is therefore also

given by: 𝑈𝑈 = 𝑞𝑞𝑞𝑞

• The electric field is the gradient of the potential:

𝐸𝐸 = −∆𝑉𝑉/∆𝑥𝑥

• Charges feel a force from high electric potential

to low potential