Chapter 23
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Learning Goals for Chapter 23
Looking forward at …
• how to calculate the electric potential energy of a collection
of charges.
• the meaning and significance of electric potential.
• how to calculate the electric potential that a collection of
charges produces at a point in space.
• how to use equipotential surfaces to visualize how the electric
potential varies in space.
• how to use electric potential to calculate the electric field.
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Introduction
• In one type of welding,
electric charge flows between
the welding tool and the metal
pieces that are to be joined.
• This produces a glowing arc
whose high temperature fuses
the pieces together.
• The tool must be held close to the metal pieces in order to
maximize the electric field.
• Electric potential energy is an integral part of our
technological society.
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Electric potential energy in a uniform field
• In the figure, a pair of charged parallel metal plates sets up a
uniform, downward electric field.
• The field exerts a downward force on a positive test charge.
• As the charge moves
downward from point a to
point b, the work done by the
field is independent of the
path the particle takes.
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A positive charge moving in a uniform field
• If the positive charge moves in the direction of the field, the
field does positive work on the charge.
• The potential energy decreases.
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A positive charge moving in a uniform field
• If the positive charge moves opposite the direction of the
field, the field does negative work on the charge.
• The potential energy increases.
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A negative charge moving in a uniform field
• If the negative charge moves in the direction of the field, the
field does negative work on the charge.
• The potential energy
increases.
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A negative charge moving in a uniform field
• If the negative charge moves opposite the direction of the
field, the field does positive work on the charge.
• The potential energy decreases.
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Electric potential energy of two point charges
• The work done by the electric field of one point charge on
another does not depend on the path taken.
• Therefore, the electric potential energy only depends on the
distance between the charges.
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Electric potential energy of two point charges
• The electric potential energy of two point charges only
depends on the distance between the charges.
• This equation is valid no matter what the signs of the
charges are.
• Potential energy is defined to be zero when the charges are
infinitely far apart.
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Graphs of the potential energy
• If two charges have the same sign, the interaction is
repulsive, and the electric potential energy is positive.
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Graphs of the potential energy
• If two charges have opposite signs, the interaction is
attractive, and the electric potential energy is negative.
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Electrical potential with several point charges
• The potential energy
associated with q0 depends
on the other charges and their
distances from q0.
• The electric potential energy
is the algebraic sum:
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© 2016 Pearson Education, Ltd.
Electric potential
• Potential is potential energy per unit charge.
• The potential of a with respect to b (Vab = Va – Vb) equals the
work done by the electric force when a unit charge moves
from a to b.
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Electric potential
• The potential due to a single point charge is:
• Like electric field, potential is independent of the test charge
that we use to define it.
• For a collection of point charges:
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Finding electric potential from the electric
field
• If you move in the direction of the electric field, the electric
potential decreases, but if you move opposite the field, the
potential increases.
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Electric potential and electric field
• Moving with the direction of the electric field means moving
in the direction of decreasing V, and vice versa.
• To move a unit charge slowly against the electric force, we
must apply an external force per unit charge equal and
opposite to the electric force per unit charge.
• The electric force per unit charge is the electric field.
• The potential difference Va – Vb equals the work done per
unit charge by this external force to move a unit charge from
b to a:
• The unit of electric field can be expressed as 1 N/C = 1 V/m.
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© 2016 Pearson Education, Ltd.
The electron volt
• When a particle with charge q moves from a point where the
potential is Vb to a point where it is Va, the change in the
potential energy U is
Ua − Ub = q(Va − Vb)
• If charge q equals the magnitude e of the electron charge, and
the potential difference is 1 V, the change in energy is
defined as one electron volt (eV):
1 eV = 1.602 × 10−19 J
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Electron volts and cancer radiotherapy
• One way to destroy a
cancerous tumor is to aim
high-energy electrons
directly at it.
• Each electron has a kinetic
energy of 4 to 20 MeV
(1 MeV = 106 eV), and
transfers its energy to the tumor through collisions with the
tumor’s atoms.
• Electrons in this energy range can penetrate only a few
centimeters into a patient, which makes them useful for
treating superficial tumors, such as those on the skin or lips.
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© 2016 Pearson Education, Ltd.
© 2016 Pearson Education, Ltd.
Electric potential and field of a charged
conductor
• A solid conducting sphere of radius R has a total charge q.
• The electric field inside the sphere is zero everywhere.
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Electric potential and field of a charged
conductor
• The potential is the same at every point inside the sphere and
is equal to its value at the surface.
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Ionization and corona discharge
• At an electric-field magnitude of about 3 × 106 V/m or
greater, air molecules become ionized, and air becomes a
conductor.
• For a charged conducting sphere, Vsurface = Esurface R.
• Thus, if Em is the electric-field magnitude at which air
becomes conductive (known as
the dielectric strength of air),
then the maximum potential
Vm to which a spherical
conductor can be raised is
Vm = REm.
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Oppositely charged parallel plates
• The potential at any height y between the two large
oppositely charged parallel plates is V = Ey.
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Equipotential surfaces
• Contour lines on a topographic map are curves of
constant elevation and hence of constant gravitational
potential energy.
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Equipotential surfaces and field lines
• An equipotential surface is a surface on which the electric
potential is the same at every point.
• Field lines and equipotential surfaces are always mutually
perpendicular.
• Shown are cross sections of
equipotential surfaces (blue lines)
and electric field lines (red lines)
for a single positive charge.
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Equipotential surfaces and field lines for
a dipole
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Field and potential of two equal positive
charges
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Equipotentials and conductors
• When all charges are at rest:
− the surface of a conductor is
always an equipotential
surface.
− the electric field just outside a
conductor is always
perpendicular to the surface.
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Equipotentials and conductors
• If the electric field had a tangential component at the surface
of a conductor, a net amount of work would be done on a test
charge by moving it around a loop as shown here—which is
impossible because the electric force is conservative.
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Potential gradient
• The components of the electric field can be found by taking
partial derivatives of the electric potential:
• The electric field is the negative gradient of the potential:
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