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- PHY102 Physics II © Dr.Cem Özdoğan
- The potential energy per unit charge at a point in an electric field is called the electric potential V (or simply the potential) at that point. This is a scalar quantity. Thus,
- Here W∞ is the work done by the electric field on a charged particle as that particle moves in from infinity to point f (Vi=0 → Vf=V).
- The electric potential difference V between any two points i and f in an electric field is equal to the difference in potential energy per unit charge between the two points. Thus,
- The potential difference between two points is thus the negative of the work done (ΔU=-W) by the electrostatic force to move a unit charge from one point to the other.
- If we set Ui =0 at infinity as our reference potential energy, then the electric potential V must also be zero there. Therefore, the electric potential at any point in an electric field can be defined to be