Molly Ayala
Electric potential is the amount of work needed to move a test charge from a reference point to a specific point in a static electric field. The potential difference between points A and B is the change in potential of a charge moved from A to B. Voltage, also known as electric potential difference, electric pressure, or electric tension, is the difference in electric potential between two points. The volt is the derived unit for electric potential, voltage, and electromotive force. The volt is named after the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta, who invented the voltaic pile, possibly the first chemical battery.
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What You'll Learn
Electric potential is the work done per unit charge
Electric potential is defined as electric potential energy per unit of electric charge. It is the amount of work needed to move a test charge from a reference point to a specific point in a static electric field. The reference point is usually the earth or a point at infinity, but any point can be used.
The electric potential at the reference point is defined as zero units. The test charge used is small enough that its disturbance to the field is unnoticeable, and its motion across the field is supposed to be with negligible acceleration so that the test charge does not acquire kinetic energy or produce radiation.
Electric potential is also called electric field potential, potential drop, or electrostatic potential. It is a scalar quantity denoted by V or φ, equal to the electric potential energy of any charged particle. The electric potential due to an idealized point charge is continuous in all space except at the location of the point charge.
The electric potential is calculated in either a static (time-invariant) or a dynamic (time-varying) electric field at a specific time with the unit joules per coulomb (J⋅C−1) or volt (V). The electric potential in electrodynamics, when time-varying fields are present, is expressed as both the scalar electric potential and the magnetic vector potential.
In short, electric potential is the work done per unit charge.
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Electric potential difference is also known as voltage
Electric potential is defined as electric potential energy per unit of electric charge. It is the amount of work needed to move a test charge from a reference point to a specific point in a static electric field. The reference point is usually the earth or a point at infinity, but it can be any point. Electric potential is also known as voltage drop or electrostatic potential.
Electric potential difference, also known as voltage, is the difference in electric potential between two points. It is the change in potential of a charge moved from one point to another in an electric field. The volt (V) is the derived unit for electric potential, voltage, and electromotive force. The volt is named after the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta, who invented the voltaic pile, possibly the first chemical battery.
The potential difference between two points corresponds to the pressure difference between those points. For example, a pump creates pressure that allows water to flow and do work, such as driving a turbine. Similarly, a battery provides a potential difference that allows an electric current to flow and do work, such as turning a car's starter motor.
While voltage and energy are related, they are not the same thing. Two batteries may have the same voltage but supply different amounts of energy. This is because the energy supplied by a battery depends on the size of the engine it is powering. For example, a car battery and a motorcycle battery may have the same voltage, but the car battery supplies much more energy to start a larger engine.
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Voltage is related to energy
Voltage, also known as electric potential difference, is the difference in electric potential between two points. It is the electric potential energy per unit of electric charge. Electric potential is the amount of work needed to move a test charge from a reference point to a specific point in a static electric field. The reference point is usually the Earth, defined as 0 V.
The energy of an electron is also affected by its specific thermal and atomic environment. A higher voltage results in a greater energy gain from moving between two points. This is because a positive electric charge gains energy when moving from a point of high voltage to a point of low voltage. A negative electric charge would gain energy by moving in the opposite direction.
The energy supplied by a battery is calculated by the voltage, but not all of the energy is available for external use. As a battery is discharged, some of its energy is used internally, and its terminal voltage drops. This can be observed when a depleted car battery causes the headlights to dim.
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The volt is the derived unit for electric potential
Electric potential, also known as electric field potential, is defined as electric potential energy per unit of electric charge. In other words, it is the amount of work needed to move a test charge from a reference point to a specific point in a static electric field. The volt, symbolized by the letter V, is the derived unit for electric potential.
The volt is named after the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta (1745–1827), who invented the voltaic pile, possibly the first chemical battery. In 1861, Latimer Clark and Sir Charles Bright coined the name "volt" for the unit of resistance. By 1873, the British Association for the Advancement of Science had defined the volt, ohm, and farad. In 1881, the International Electrical Congress, now the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), approved the volt as the unit for electromotive force.
In the International System of Units (SI), the volt is defined as the electric potential between two points of a conducting wire when an electric current of one ampere dissipates one watt of power between those points. It can also be expressed as the potential difference between two points that will impart one joule of energy per coulomb of charge that passes through it. This relationship can be expressed mathematically as:
> 1 V = 1 J/C
On a submicroscopic scale, it is more convenient to define an energy unit called the electron volt (eV), which is the energy given to a fundamental charge accelerated through a potential difference of 1 V. This can be written as:
> 1 eV = (1.60 x 10^-19 C) x 1 V = 1.60 x 10^-19 J
It is important to distinguish between electric potential and voltage or potential difference. Voltage is the common name for electric potential difference and refers to the difference in electric potential between two points. While voltage and energy are related, they are not the same thing. For example, a motorcycle battery and a car battery can have the same voltage but supply different amounts of energy.
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Electric potential is a scalar quantity
Electric potential, also known as electric field potential, is defined as electric potential energy per unit of electric charge. It is the amount of work required to move a test charge from a reference point to a specific point in a static electric field.
The scalar nature of electric potential can be understood through its mathematical representation, where the electric field (E) is defined as the negative gradient of the electric potential (Φ). Additionally, electric potential can be expressed as the quotient of work done (W) and charge (Q), both of which are scalar quantities.
In classical electrostatics, the electrostatic field is a vector quantity that can be derived from the gradient of the electrostatic potential, further reinforcing the scalar nature of electric potential. The scalar potential is commonly utilized in various equations, such as Coulomb's law and the Poisson equation, due to its convenience in calculations.
It's important to distinguish between electric potential and electric potential difference (voltage). Voltage refers to the potential difference between two points, such as the terminals of a battery. Electric potential, on the other hand, is a scalar quantity that helps us understand the distribution of electric potential energy in a system.
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Frequently asked questions
Electric potential is defined as electric potential energy per unit of electric charge. It is the amount of work needed to move a test charge from a reference point to a specific point in a static electric field.
Voltage is the common name for electric potential difference. It is the difference in electric potential between two points.
The SI unit for electric potential or electric potential difference is voltage or volts (V).
Voltage and energy are related but not the same. Voltage is the energy per unit charge.
The energy of an electron in electron volts (eV) is the energy given to a fundamental charge accelerated through a potential difference of 1 V.
