18.02 Electriciry and Magnetism L04

Electrostatic Potential The amount of work that I need to do to move a single charge from very far away, to that particular point near the source of electric field, which gives the following V = kq/r or from another point of view, the work required to move a single charge from the 2 points V1 - V2 = W/q or from another point of view, the (distance moved x Force required to move a single charge) V1 - V2 = (F / q) d Electric Energy eV from W = qV, we get Energy = Coulombs x Work per Coulombs for a single electron or proton, 1 coulomb = 1.6 x 10^-19 = e so the Electric Energy of a accelerating electron can also be given by Ee = eV = 1/2 mev^2 Conservative Field As long as the difference in altitude is the same, no matter what weird path taken, the energy obtained by moving from this altitude, to the other altitude is the same,. Equipotential Surfaces Why a conductor has equipotential everywhere on it? When initially, a charge is introduced to the conductor, of course, there will be an electric field that disrupts the equipotential as the charge will generate an electric field and cause all the electrons to move around, running from high potential to low potential, UNTIL the electrons reaches a state where it is in its lowest potential, ( for electrons this should be highest potential available), by that time, the potential within the conductor should be everywhere zero. thats when we get E = 0 V= Constant