ELECTRIC POTENTIAL

ENERGY
Course Outcome 2
PHY02: General Physics 2

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Learning Outcome
 Relate the electric potential with  Infer the direction and strength of
work, potential energy, and electric field vector, nature of the
electric field. electric field sources, and
 Determine the electric potential electrostatic potential surface.
function at any point due to highly  Calculate the electric field in the
symmetric continuous – charge region.
distributions.

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Topic Outline
 Electric Potential Energy
 Electric Potential
 Equipotential surfaces
 Electric Field as a potential gradient
 Electric potential

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 Review
Electric Potential Energy

/electricity/ - use as secondary Stored energy that depends upon

energy source because it is the relative position of various parts
produced by converting of a system.
primary sources of energy into
electrical power.

It is the energy that is needed to

move a charge against an electric
field.

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Potential Energy
 Work done by the gravitational force
𝑊 𝐴𝐵 =𝑚𝑔 h𝑎 − 𝑚𝑔 h 𝑏=GP 𝐸 𝐴 −GP 𝐸 𝐵

Initial Final
gravitational gravitational
potential potential
energy energy

 The work done by the electric force equals the

difference beween the electrical potential energy
EPE at A and the electric potential energy at B.
Cutnell, J. D., Johnson, K. W., Young, D., & Stadler, S. (2018). Physics (11th Edition). Wiley
Global Education US. https://wileyplus.vitalsource.com/books/9781119326342

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Electric Potential Difference
 The electric potential V at a given point is the electric potential
energy EPE of a small test charge situated at that point divided
by the charge itself

V=

SI Unit: Joule/Coulomb = Volt (V)

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Example
In the figure below, the work done by the electric force as the
charge () moves from A to B is .
(a) Find the value of the difference, Δ(EPE) = EPEB − EPEA,
in the electric potential energies of the charge between these
points. (b) Determine the potential difference, ΔV = VB − VA,
between the points.

- 5.0 x 10-5 J

-25 V
Cutnell, J. D., Johnson, K. W., Young, D., & Stadler, S. (2018). Physics (11th Edition). Wiley
Global Education US. https://wileyplus.vitalsource.com/books/9781119326342

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Electric Potential Difference by Point
Charge
 The electric potential is higher (uphill)
at A and lower (downhill) at B.
 This result is valid whether q is positive
or negative, and whether q0 is positive
or negative.

Cutnell, J. D., Johnson, K. W., Young, D., & Stadler, S. (2018). Physics (11th Edition). Wiley Global Education US.
https://wileyplus.vitalsource.com/books/9781119326342

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Electric Potential Difference by Point
Charge

V=

Cutnell, J. D., Johnson, K. W., Young, D., & Stadler, S. (2018). Physics (11th Edition). Wiley Global Education US.
https://wileyplus.vitalsource.com/books/9781119326342

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Equipotential Surfaces
An equipotential
 The larger the distance r, the smaller is surface is a surface
the potential of the equipotential on which the electric
potential is the
surface. same everywhere.
 The net electric force does no work as
a charge moves on an equipotential
surface.

Cutnell, J. D., Johnson, K. W., Young, D., & Stadler, S. (2018). Physics (11th
Edition). Wiley Global Education US.
https://wileyplus.vitalsource.com/books/9781119326342

shs.mapua.edu.ph
Equipotential Surfaces

Cutnell, J. D., Johnson, K. W., Young, D., & Stadler, S. (2018). Physics (11th Cutnell, J. D., Johnson, K. W., Young, D., & Stadler, S. (2018). Physics (11th
Edition). Wiley Global Education US. Edition). Wiley Global Education US.
https://wileyplus.vitalsource.com/books/9781119326342 https://wileyplus.vitalsource.com/books/9781119326342

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Capacitance of a Capacitors
 The region between the conductors or plates with
an electrically insulating material called a
dielectric.
 The magnitude q of the charge on each plate of a
capacitor is directly proportional to the magnitude
V of the potential difference between the plates

q = CV
Cutnell, J. D., Johnson, K. W., Young, D., & Stadler, S. (2018). Physics (11th Edition). Wiley
Global Education US. https://wileyplus.vitalsource.com/books/9781119326342

SI Unit: Coulomb/Volt = Farad (F)

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Michael Faraday
 English physicist and chemist whose many experiments
contributed greatly to the understanding
of electromagnetism.
 In 1831 he succeeded by using two coils of wire wound
around opposite sides of a ring of soft iron.
 He also demonstrated that an electric current can be
induced by moving a magnet, by turning
an electromagnet on and off, and even by moving an
electric wire in Earth’s magnetic field. Within a few months,
Faraday built the first, albeit primitive, electric generator.

© Images Group/REX/Shutterstock.com
SI Unit: Coulomb/Volt = Farad (F)
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Application: RAM Chip
 A single RAM chip often contains millions
of such transistor–capacitor units. The
address line is used by the computer to
locate a particular transistor–capacitor
combination, and the data line carries the
data to be stored. Source:https://www.ifixit.com/Store/Mac/PC4-19200-16-GB-
RAM-Chip/IF111-045?o=1

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References
Serway, R. A., Vuille, C. (20170101). College Physics, Volume 1, 11th
Edition. [[VitalSource Bookshelf version]]. Retrieved from
vbk://9781337514637
Halliday, D., Resnick, R., Walker, J. (2014). Principles of
Physics,International Student Version, 10th Edition. [[VitalSource
Bookshelf version]]. Retrieved from vbk://9781118413784
Cutnell, J. D., Johnson, K. W., Young, D., Stadler, S. (2018). Physics,
11th Edition. [[VitalSource Bookshelf version]]. Retrieved from
vbk://9781119326342  

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End of Presentation

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End of Presentation

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