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MAMS ACADEMY FOR CAREER EXCELLENCE

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA

ES3
Date: March 18, 2012

PHYSICS NOTES: Electric Potential, Potential Energy and Dipole

Electric Potential: The effect of charge in its surrounding environment can also be represented by using another physical quantity known as Electric Potential other than Electric Field. One difference is that Field is a vector quantity and Potential is scalar quantity. For field direction is required but for potential no direction only magnitude is required. Potential due to point charge: Consider a point charge placed at some point in a material medium. The 1 q potential due to that point charge at point P at some distance r from it is given by. V = , remember 4 o r r here q is to be used with sign. For positive charge this quantity is positive but for negative charge it is negative

. Potential Difference: Due to point charge potential is different at different point because it varies with 1 distance as V . So when we move from one point to another point in an electric field of that point charge r we will get difference of potential Also known as potential difference. As we move away from the positive point charge the magnitude of the field decreases that means if we move a positive small test charge away from that point charge the magnitude of the force experience by it due to field, decreases. Direction of force on test charge always points away from the positive charge. If displacement is also away from it (moving away from point charge). So Work done by the field on the test charge is positive. Lets consider we move from point A to point B in an electric field. Then Potential difference between these points is written as VA-VB is defined as work done by the electric field on the test charge when it is moved from A to B divided by that test charge. External work done on the test charge in moving it from A to B will be negative of the work done by the electric field. W WexternalA B W VA VB = fieldA B OR VA VB = OR VB VA = externalA B , its very easy to remember. qo qo qo If test charge is taken from infinity to a point at distance r from point charge and as potential at infinity is zero because the effect of charge at infinity vanishes, so (work done in moving test charge divided by test charge) from infinity to that point will give potential at that point. W VB V = VB = external B This is also definition of potential at a point. qo Note: Field is defined using force as force per unit test charge, potential is defined using work done as work done per unit test charge. AND this work is conservative i.e. independent of the path followed. Potential Energy of electric charges in electric field: Consider there are two point charges placed in a medium at separation r between each other. If these are released from that position then they will accelerate and move away from each other gaining KE. So, before release they must have potential energy stored in both charges. So, PE must be stored in a system of charges. If there are three point charges placed in medium. Then PE is due to all three charges as a system.

Derivation Consider two point charges q1 and q2 . If q2 is brought from infinity towards q1 to final distance r from q1 . This work will be negative of the work done in taking q2 from initial distance r to final distance of . Lets find this second work.

Kq1q2 q q Work Done by field of q1 in doing so is dw = K 1 2 2 dr or dw = or r r r 0 0 r Kq1q2 Kq1q2 Kq1q2 Hence work done in moving q2 from infinity to final distance r will W 0 = or W = r r Kq q be 1 2 This is conservative work done . Now Change in potential energy of conservative force is related r Kq q Kq q to the work done by the conservative force as U = Wconservative or U r U = 1 2 hence U r = 1 2 . r r Remember to put charges with sign as in potential formula
W

Potential Energy of the system of charges: Consider three charges placed in space as shown in the figure.

The expression for potential energy of system is Kq q Kq q Kq q U= 1 2+ 2 3+ 3 1 r1 r2 r3 similarly we can find PE of system of any number of point charges placed in medium.

Electric Dipole: It is a system of two equal and opposite point charges separated by some distance r between each other. Remember if there are number of point charges in a medium then number of dipole there is equal to the number of pairs of equal and opposite point charges. Electric Dipole Moment of Dipole: It is a physical quantity that describes electric dipole. It is a vector quantity denoted by P whose direction is always from ve charge to positive charge in dipole. Its magnitude =charge magnitude x separation r) P = q r , SI unit is Nm Dimensional Formula [L1A1T1]

Note : Field, Force and dipole moment are vector, potential and potential energy are scalar quantities. Also for derivations involving dipole we take the separation between charge as r=2a for making derivations simple. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,Have a Nice Day

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