Download Goal: To understand electric potential

Goal: To understand electric
potential and electric potential
energy
Objectives:
1)
To compare Electric potential energy to gravitational
potential energy.
2)
To Compare Electric Potential to Electric force.
3)
To learn how to Find the Electric Potential energy.
4)
To understand the similarities and differences between
Voltage and energy
5)
To learn about Equipotential surfaces
6)
To understand how to find the electric Potential in a
Uniform Electric Field
Revisit of Gravitational Potential
Energy
• Potential energy is the energy you can get
from letting something move.
• For gravity if you drop something you can
convert Potential Energy to Kinetic.
• The energy you get is approximately the
force times the distance (yes that is similar
to work).
Electric Potential Energy
• Electric Potential energy is the same. It is
the potential energy between any two
charges.
• Energy is a force times a distance, so if
you multiply the Electric Force times a
distance (I am oversimplifying a little here)
you get the Electric Potential.
• U = k q1 q2 / r (and is in units of Joules)
• Note how similar it looks to the equation
for the force.
Sample problem
• Calculate the electric potential energy
between the following 2 charges:
• Q1 = 5C, and is located at x = 3 m, Q2 = 3C, and is located at x = -2 m.
Negative energy?
• The negative because it is attractive.
Therefore it TAKES energy to separate
them.
• If the energy is positive then you gain
energy by separating them.
• The energy is defined to be the energy
you get if you send them to infinity (or
need to add if negative).
Follow up!
•
Q1 = 5C, and is located at x = 3 m, Q2 = -3C, and is located at x = -2 m.
• Three follow up questions:
• Suppose we started these charges at rest
at infinity. When they were at infinity what
was:
• A) The potential Energy
• B) The total energy (hint how much is the
kinetic if they are at rest?)
Follow up! Part two
•
Q1 = 5C, and is located at x = 3 m, Q2 = -3C, and is located at x = -2 m.
• Three follow up questions:
• Suppose we started these charges at rest
at infinity. Now we let them go until they
reach the position above
• A) What is the total energy when they
reach their locations?
• B) How much Kinetic Energy will they
have?
Okay now for a bit harder
• Suppose there are > 2 charges!
• The total potential energy is the sums of
the potentials for each pair.
• So, if you have 3 charges then:
• U = U13 + U12 + U23
• Where Uab = k qa qb / r (r = distance
between a and b)
• Be careful not to add in a pair twice.
3 charges in 1 dimension
•
•
•
•
Calculate the total potential energy.
Q1 = 4C, and is at x = -3 m
Q2 = -3C, and is at x = 1 m
Q3 = 2C, and is at x = 4 m
Charges in 2D
• Think about charges in 2 dimensions.
• Other than calculating distances between
charges will the directions matter?
• Why or why not?
Electric Potential
• Not to be confused with Potential energy.
• This is the potential energy per unit
charge.
• The units of potential is Volts (V)
• V = U / q or U = q * V
• Notice that a Volt = 1 J / 1 C
Sample
• A 3 C charge is allowed to move across a
5 V potential. By how much has the
potential energy changed (asking for a
magnitude here)?
Equipotential surfaces
• Equipotential surfaces are surfaces with
equal potentials.
• They are perpendicular to the electric field
lines.
• This is like a line on a map where
everything on that line is at the same
elevation (thus same gravitational
potential).
• Why would this be important?
Uses for surfaces
• Along the equipotential surface no net
work is required!
• If you go perpendicular to a surface then
you maximize your increase or decrease
in potential.
Potential in a Uniform Electric Field
• Work is energy.
• Work = Force * distance
• Since Force = q * E, if E is constant,
then W = q * E * d
• The change in potential energy is just the
negative of the work done, so U = - qEd
Potential in a Uniform Electric Field
• Since V = U / q, therefore V = - E d
• Warning: Don’t mix up V, E, and U.
• V is voltage (electric potential), E is
electric field, and U is potential energy.
Note V and U are different even though
both have ‘potential’ in them.
• Students often times find energy with E = V/d, but that isn’t energy…
Quick sample if time permits
•
A charge of 5C is located inside a constant electric field
of 7 V/m.
A) What is the change in potential for the charge if the
charge move 3 m.
B) What is the change in potential energy for the charge
(no it won’t be the same answer as for A)?
C) If the charge was initially at rest how much kinetic
energy will it have after it travels 3 m (hint: how does
change in kinetic energy depend on the change in
potential energy?)?
D) If the mass of the charge is 1 kg then at what velocity
will it be traveling after it travels 3 m?
Conclusion
• We have found that potential energy and
voltages are scalars.
• We found that U = k q1 q2 / r for any pair of
charges.
• For multiple charges U is just the sums of U for
each possible pair.
• Voltage is just a energy per charge so V = U/q.
• Equipotential surfaces are perpendicular to field
lines.
• In a uniform field W = qEd and V = -Ed