Physics 121

Electric Potential Continued (25.5-25.7, 26.1)

Electricity 9 | Rāmere te 3 o Here-turi-kōkā | Semester 2, 2018

Announcements

Quiz 1 script return in class – if you haven’t collected yours this Wednesday.

PiP 2 due this Friday.

Homework 2 due Monday 6 August.

Quiz 2 in class next Wednesday. Scope: Chapters 23 – 25 (Weeks 2 and

3). Physical constants are provided; BYO formulae sheet, include
kinematics equations (see p. 226 in textbook).

Electricity 9 | Rāmere te 3 o Here-turi-kōkā | Semester 2, 2018

Today

• Electric Potential
• Inside a Parallel Plate
Capacitor
• Of a Point Charge
• Of Many Charges
• Connecting potential and field
• Finding the field from the
potential

Electricity 9 | Rāmere te 3 o Here-turi-kōkā | Semester 2, 2018

 Last Time: Electric Potential Energy & Potential

A positive charge slows down as it

moves into a region of higher
potential

Electricity 9 | Rāmere te 3 o Here-turi-kōkā | Semester 2, 2018

The Electric Potential Inside a Parallel-Plate Capacitor
 The electric potential inside a parallel-plate capacitor is

where s is the distance

from the negative
electrode.
 The potential difference
ΔVC, or “voltage” between
the two capacitor plates is
Quick Check
Two protons, one after the
other, are launched from point 1
with the same speed. They
follow the two trajectories
shown. The protons’ speeds at
points 2 and 3 are related by

A. v2 > v3
B. v2 = v3
C. v2 < v3
D. Not enough information to compare their speeds.
Quick Check
Two protons, one after the
other, are launched from point 1
with the same speed. They
follow the two trajectories
shown. The protons’ speeds at
points 2 and 3 are related by
A. v2 > v3
B. v2 = v3 Energy conservation
C. v2 < v3
D. Not enough information to compare their speeds.
The Parallel-Plate Capacitor
 The figure shows the contour lines of the electric potential
and the electric field vectors inside a parallel-plate
capacitor.
 The electric field
vectors are
perpendicular to the
equipotential surfaces.
 The electric field
points in the direction
of decreasing
potential.
The Zero Point of Electric Potential
 Where you choose V = 0 is arbitrary. The three contour
maps below represent the same physical situation.
 Whiteboard: Chimney Cleaner
Many factories use dust precipitators in their chimneys to remove airborne
pollutants. In one such precipitator a pair of plates is placed in the square
chimney with a potential difference of 2 kV between them. The large
electric field causes molecules to be ionized. Free electrons and ions can
then attach to dust particles making them charged. Suppose that a dust
particle in the chimney has a charge of +1e.
a. Draw field lines and lines of equipotential for the arrangement shown.
b. If the dust particle starts from rest at point O, half way between the
plates, will it move to A or B?
c. Will the system gain or lose electric potential energy? What causes the
change?
d. Repeat parts b and c for a particle with a charge of –2e. Will the
change in electric potential energy be greater, less than or the same for
this particle for a given distance traveled?
e. Rank the electric potential at points A, B and O.
Electricity 9 | Rāmere te 3 o Here-turi-kōkā | Semester 2, 2018
 Answers: Chimney Cleaner
b. The dust particle has a charge of +1e, hence it will be
attracted to the negative plate and repelled by the positive
plate, and will move towards B.
c. The system will lose electric potential energy, just as
when a ball falls, the ball-earth system loses gravitational
potential energy. The dust particle will accelerate, gaining
kinetic energy as it moves from O to B.
d. A particle with charge –2e will move the opposite way,
towards A. It will also lose potential energy and gain kinetic
energy, but as its charge is twice as great it will have twice
the electric potential energy as the +1e particle, and twice
as much electric potential energy will be converted to kinetic
energy for a given distance traveled.
e. The electric potential is highest at point A and lowest at
point B; it decreases as you move from positive from to
negative.

Electricity 9 | Rāmere te 3 o Here-turi-kōkā | Semester 2, 2018

 The Electric Potential of a Point Charge
 Let q in the figure be
the source charge, and
let a second charge q',
a distance r away,
probe the electric
potential of q.
 The potential energy of
the two point charges is
The Electric Potential of a Point Charge
 The electric potential due to a point charge q is

 The potential extends through all of space,

showing the influence of charge q, but it weakens
with distance as 1/r.
 This expression for V assumes that we have
chosen V = 0 to be at r = ∞.
Quick Check
What is the ratio VB/VA of the
electric potentials at the two
points?

A. 9
B. 3
C. 1/3
D. 1/9
E. Undefined without knowing the charge
Quick Check
What is the ratio VB/VA of the
electric potentials at the two
points?

A. 9
B. 3
C. 1/3 Potential of a point charge decreases
inversely with distance.
D. 1/9
E. Undefined without knowing the charge
The Electric Potential of a Point Charge
Mastering Physics: Bouncing Electrons
Two electrons, each with mass m and charge q, are released from positions
very far from each other. With respect to a certain reference frame, electron A
has initial nonzero speed v toward electron B in the positive x direction, and
electron B has initial speed 3v toward electron A in the negative x direction. The
electrons move directly toward each other along the x axis (very hard to do with
real electrons). As the electrons approach each other, they slow due to their
electric repulsion. This repulsion eventually pushes them away from each other.

In-class Electricity 9 (25.5-25.7, 26.1)

Password: proclivity

10 minutes

Electricity 9 | Rāmere te 3 o Here-turi-kōkā | Semester 2, 2018

The Electric Potential of a Charged Sphere
 Outside a uniformly charged sphere of
radius R, the electric potential is identical
to that of a point charge Q at the center:

where r ≥ R.

 If the potential at the surface V0 is A plasma ball consists of a small metal

known, then the potential at r ≥ R is
ball inside a hollow glass sphere filled
with low-pressure neon gas. The high
voltage of the ball creates “lightning
bolts” between the ball and the glass
sphere.
Quick Check
An electron follows the
trajectory shown from i to f.
At point f,

A. vf > vi
B. vf = vi
C. vf < vi
D. Not enough information to compare the
speeds at these points.
Quick Check
An electron follows the
trajectory shown from i to f.
At point f,

A. vf > vi
B. vf = vi
C. vf < vi
D. Not enough information to compare the
speeds at these points.
Increasing PE (becoming less
negative) so decreasing KE
The Electric Potential of Many Charges
 The electric potential V at a point in space is the sum of
the potentials due to each charge:

where ri is the distance from charge qi to the point in space where

the potential is being calculated.
 The electric potential, like the electric field, obeys the
principle of superposition.

NOTE: Unlike electric field, electric potential is a scalar…

makes superposition much easier!
The Electric Potential of an Electric Dipole
The Electric Potential of a Human Heart

 Electrical activity
within the body
can be monitored
by measuring
equipotential lines
on the skin.
 The equipotentials
near the heart are
a slightly distorted
but recognizable
electric dipole.
Quick Check
At the midpoint between these
two equal but opposite charges,

A. E = 0; V = 0
B. E = 0; V > 0
C. E = 0; V < 0
D. E points right; V = 0
E. E points left; V = 0
Quick Check
At the midpoint between these
two equal but opposite charges,

A. E = 0; V = 0
B. E = 0; V > 0
C. E = 0; V < 0
D. E points right; V = 0
E. E points left; V = 0
Quick Check
At which point or points is the electric potential zero?

A. B. C. D.

E. More than one of these.

Quick Check
At which point or points is the electric potential zero?
V=0 V=0

A. B. C. D.

E. More than one of these.

Whiteboard: Electric Potential of Point Charges
Three point charges, each of charge +q (q > 0), are fixed in position at three different
corners of a square of side length L.
(a) Sketch this arrangement of charges on a suitable coordinate system, then find the
magnitude and direction of the electric field at the centre of the square.
(b) Find the electric potential at the centre of the square.
A point charge, of charge +Q (Q > 0) and mass M, is brought from far away and placed at
the centre of the square.
(c) How much work is done moving this charge?
(d) If the charge placed at the centre of the square is released, what is the acceleration of
the charge at the instant of release?
(e) The released charge will eventually pass through the fourth corner of the square. What
will its velocity be when it does so? And what will its velocity be when it is once again very
far away from the other charges? (Don’t worry about simplifying)
121 Past Exam S1 2017, Q1
If you finish early, see if you can model this situation with the “Charges and Fields” PhET:
https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/charges-and-fields/latest/charges-and-fields_en.html
Electricity 9 | Rāmere te 3 o Here-turi-kōkā | Semester 2, 2018
Solution

NOTE: I used this funny V

to distinguish electric
potential V from velocity v.

Electricity 9 | Rāmere te 3 o Here-turi-kōkā | Semester 2, 2018

Connecting Potential and Field

 The figure shows

the four key
ideas of force,
field, potential
energy, and
potential.

 We know that force and potential energy are

closely related (Chapter 9 & 10).
 The focus of this chapter is to establish a similar
relationship between the electric field and the
electric potential.
TASK: What does this chart look like for two point charges?
What is V? How do you get there from U and E? Table of
Terms

Kq1q2
U12 =
r

U12 = q1V2

Kq2
V2 =
r

Electricity 9 | Rāmere te 3 o Here-turi-kōkā | Semester 2, 2018

Finding the Potential of a Point Charge
Finding the Potential from the Electric Field
 The potential difference between two points in space is

where s is the position along a line from point i to point f.

 We can find the potential difference between two points
if we know the electric field.
 Thus a graphical interpretation of the equation above is
Quick Check
This is a graph of the x-component
of the electric field along
the x-axis. The potential
is zero at the origin. What
is the potential at x = 1m?

A. 2000 V
B. 1000 V
C. 0V
D. –1000 V
E. –2000 V
Quick Check
This is a graph of the x-component
of the electric field along
the x-axis. The potential
is zero at the origin. What
is the potential at x = 1m?

A. 2000 V
B. 1000 V
C. 0V
D. –1000 V ΔV = –area under curve
E. –2000 V
 Whiteboard: Geiger Counter
Geiger counters detect ionizing radiation. The detector part consists of
positively charged wire which is mounted inside a negatively charged
conducting cylinder, as shown. The charges on the wire and the
cylinder are equal, and are opposite, so a strong radial electric field is
set up inside the cylinder. The cylinder contains an inert gas at low
pressure.
a. The radius of the central wire is 25 μm, the radius of the cylinder is
1.4 cm and the length of the tube is 16 cm. If the electric field at the
cylinder’s inner wall is 2.9 × 104 N.C-1, use Gauss’ law to find the total
positive charge on the inner wire.
b. Find an expression for the potential difference between the inner wire
and the outer cylinder in terms of the linear charge density, λ.
c. Calculate the potential difference between the wire and the cylinder.

Electricity 9 | Rāmere te 3 o Here-turi-kōkā | Semester 2, 2018

Whiteboard: Gauss’s Law & The Earth
(a) Consider a conducting sphere, with a uniform surface charge density of σ (NOTE: your
textbook uses η as the symbol for surface charge density but it’s the same thing). Sketch the
electric field and use Gauss’s law to show that the field is E= σ/ε0 just outside the surface of the
sphere.
(b) The Earth can be considered as a large conducting sphere of radius 6.37 × 106 m. Under
normal weather conditions the surface of the Earth carries a net electric charge which produces
a net electric field of 160 N/C directed towards the centre of the Earth. Assuming that the
charge is distributed uniformly over the Earth’s surface, use your answer from part (a) to find the
surface density of this charge.
(c) Now consider a layer of cloud 800m above the Earth’s surface with an area of 1.0 (km) 2.
Assuming that the cloud has an opposite charge density to the Earth and that it acts like a
charged conducting plate, calculate the capacitance of Earth and the cloud by considering them
to be an effective parallel-plate capacitor.
(d) During a thunderstorm, the air will break down and conduct electricity at an electric field of
2.0 × 106 N/C, causing lightning. What does the charge have to be on the cloud to cause
lightning?

Electricity 9 | Rāmere te 3 o Here-turi-kōkā | Semester 2, 2018 Past Exam 120 S1 Q5

Solution: Gauss’s
Law & The Earth

Electricity 9 | Rāmere te 3 o Here-turi-kōkā | Semester 2, 2018

Learning Objectives

By the end of today, you should be able to:

• Define electric potential and calculate it for point charges and by using the principle
of superposition.
• Apply the general definition of potential difference to various charge configurations.
• Calculate the electric potential of extended objects for simple objects (sphere of
charge Q, parallel-plate capacitor).
• Be able to calculate the electric potential from the E-field.

Electricity 9 | Rāmere te 3 o Here-turi-kōkā | Semester 2, 2018