W03D2

Work, Potential Energy

and Electric Potential
Todays Reading Assignment: Course
Notes: Sections 4.1-4.3

Announcements

W03D3 Reading Assignment Course

Notes: Sections 4.7-4.10
Exam One Thursday Feb 28 7:30-9:30
pm Room Assignments (See Stellar
webpage announcements)

Outline
Electrical Work
Electric Potential Energy

Electric Potential Difference

Calculating Electric Potential Difference

Electrical Work
Electrical force on object 1 due to interaction
between charged objects 1 and 2:

F12 = ke

q1q2
r

2
12

r12

Work done by electrical force moving object 1

from A to B:
B

W1 = F12 d s12
A

PATH
INTEGRAL
4

Concept Question: Sign of W

Suppose a fixed positively
charged object (charge qs > 0) is
at the origin and we move a
negatively charged object (charge
q1 < 0) from A to B with rA < rB ,
where r is the distance from the
origin.
1.
2.
3.
4.

Work done by the electrostatic force is positive and we do

a positive amount of work
Work done by the electrostatic force is positive and we do
a negative amount of work
Work done by the electrostatic force is negative and we do
a positive amount of work
Work done by the electrostatic force is negative and we do
a negative amount of work

Concept Question Ans.: Sign of W

Answer 3: W is negative and we do a positive amount
of work
W is the work done by the electrical force. This is the
opposite of the work that we must do in order to move
a charged object in an electric field due to source.
The electrical force is attractive and we are moving
the positively charged object away from the source
(opposite the direction of the electric field).

Group Problem: Work Done by

Electrical Force
A point-like charged source object
(charge qs) is held fixed. A second
point-like charged object (charge
q1)is initially at a distance rA from the
fixed source and moves to a final
distance rB from the fixed source.
What is the work done by the
electrical force on the moving object?
Hint: What coordinate system is best
suited for this problem?

Sign of W: Negative Work

Suppose a fixed positively
charged source (charge qs >
0) is at the origin and a
positively charged object
(charge q1 > 0) moves from A
to B with rA > rB , where r is
the distance from the origin,
then W < 0.
1 1
1 1
rA > rB - > 0 and qs q1 > 0 W = -ke qs q1 - < 0
rB rA
rB rA
8

Work and
Change in Kinetic Energy

W = DK

Group Problem: Work-Kinetic

Energy In a Uniform Electric field
Consider two thin oppositely uniform charged thin plates
separated by a distance d. The surface charge densities on
the plates are uniform and equal in magnitude. An electron
with charge e and mass m is released from rest at the
negative plate and moves to the positive plate. What is the
speed of the electron when it reaches the positive plate?

10

Potential Energy Difference

Suppose charged object s is fixed
and located at the origin and
charge object 1 moves from an
initial position A, a distance rA
from the origin to a final position
B, a distance rB from the origin.
The potential energy difference
due to the interaction is defined to
be the negative of the work
done by the field in moving
object 1 in from A to B. This is the
same as the work you do in
moving object 1 from A to B.

1 1
DU U B - U A = - F12 d s = -W = ke qs q1 -
A
rB rA
B

11

Potential Energy: Zero Point

Choose the zero point for the potential energy at infinity.

U() 0
Then set rA = and rB = r .
The potential energy difference between and any point on a
circle of radius r is

keqs q1
U (r) - U () = U (r) =
r

12

Concept Question: Motion of Charged Objects

Two oppositely charged are released from rest in an electric
field.
1.
2.
3.

4.

Both charged objects will move from lower to higher

potential energy.
Both charged objects will move from higher to lower
potential energy.
The positively charged object will move from higher
to lower potential energy; the negatively charged
object will move from lower to higher potential
energy.
The positively charged object will move from lower to
higher potential energy; the negatively charged
object will move from higher to lower potential
energy.
13

Concept Q. Ans.: Motion of Charged Objects

2. Both charged objects will move from higher to lower
potential energy so that

DU < 0

14

Configuration Energy
What is the potential energy stored in a configuration of
charged objects? Start with all the charged objects at infinity.
Choose
U() 0
(1) Bring in the first charged object.
DU1 = 0

(2) Bring in the second charged object

DU 2 = U12 = keq1q2 / r12

(3) Bring in the third charged object

DU 3 = U 23 + U13 = keq2 q3 / r23 + keq1q3 / r13

(4) Configuration energy

DU = U12 + U 23 + U13 = keq1q2 / r12 + keq2 q3 / r23 + keq1q3 / r13

15

Group Problem: Build It

How much energy
does it take you to
assemble the
charges into the
configuration at left,
assuming they all
started out an infinite
distance apart?
16

Electric Potential Difference

Change in potential energy per test charge in
moving the test object (charge qt) from A to B:
B

DU
F
DV
= - d s = - E d s
qt
q
A t
A

Units: Joules/Coulomb = Volts

17

Demonstration
Van de Graaf
D29
Breakdown of dry air
33 kV/cm
Video of Tesla Coil
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY-AS13fl30
18

How Big is a Volt?

AA Batteries

1.5 V

High Voltage
Transmission Lines

100 kV-700
kV

Car Batteries

12 V

Van der Graaf

300 kV

US Outlet (AC)

120 V

Tesla Coil

500 kV

Distribution
Power Lines

120 V- 70
kV

Lightning

10-1000 MV

19

E Field and Potential: Effects

If you put a charged particle, (charge q), in a field:

F = qE
To move a charged particle, (charge q), in a field
and the particle does not change its kinetic energy
then:

DU = qDV
20

Concept Question: Motion of Charged Objects

Two oppositely charged are released from rest in an electric
field.
1.
2.
3.

4.

Both charged objects will move from lower to higher

electric potential.
Both charged objects will move from higher to lower
electric potential.
The positively charged object will move from higher
to lower electric potential; the negatively charged
object will move from lower to higher electric
potential.
The positively charged object will move from lower to
higher electric potential; the negatively charged
object will move from higher to lower electric
potential.
21

Concept Q. Ans.: Motion of Charged Objects

Two oppositely charged are released from rest in an electric
field.
3. The positively charged object will move from
higher to lower electric potential; the negatively
charged object will move from lower to higher electric
potential.
For the positively charged object:

DV < 0 DU = qDV < 0

For the negatively charged object:

DV > 0 DU = qDV < 0

22

Potential & External Work

Change in potential energy in moving the
charged object (charge q) from A to B:

DU = qDV
Conservation of Energy Law:

Wext = DK + DU

23

Demonstration
Kelvin Water Drop in 26-152
Wimshurst Machine in 32-152

24

Demonstration: Kelvin Water

25

Potential Created by Pt Charge

B

DV = VB - VA = - E d s
A

B dr
r
= - kQ 2 d s = -kQ 2
A
A r
r
1 1
= kQ -
rB rA
B

Take V = 0 at r = :

kQ
VPoint Charge (r) =
r

r
E = kQ 2
r
26

Concept Question: Two Point

Charges
The work done in moving a
positively charged object that
starts from rest at infinity and
ends at rest at the point P
midway between two charges
of magnitude +Q and Q
1.
2.
3.
4.

is positive.
is negative.
is zero.
can not be determined not enough info is given.
27

Concept Question Answer: Two

Point Charges
3. Work from to P is
zero.

The potential at is zero.

The potential at P is zero because equal and
opposite potentials are superimposed from the
two point charges (remember: V is a scalar,
not a vector)
28

Potential Landscape
Positive Charge

Negative Charge
29

Continuous Charge
Distributions

30

Continuous Charge Distributions

Break distribution into
infinitesimal charged elements of
charge dq. Electric Potential
difference between infinity and P
due to dq.
dq
dV Vdq (P) - Vdq () = ke
r

Superposition Principle: V (P) - V () = k

e
Reference Point:

dq
r
source

dq
V () = 0 V (P) = ke
r
source
31

Calculating Electric Potential Difference

for Continuous Distributions
1. Choose V () = 0
2. Choose integration r
variables
l d s

3. Identify
d q = s d a

r d v

4. Choose field point variables r

5. Calculate source to field
d q
point distance r - r
V (r) - V () = ke
source r - r
6. Define limits of integral
7. Integrate
32

Worked Example
Consider a uniformly
charged ring with total
charge Q. Find the electric
potential difference between
infinity and a point P along
the symmetric axis a
distance z from the center of
the ring.

33

Worked Example: Charged Ring

l = Q / 2p R

dq = l ds = l Rdq

Choose

V () = 0

r = z k

r = Rr

r - r = R2 + z 2
dq
1
l Rdq
dV =
=
4pe 0 r - r 4pe 0 R 2 + z 2
1

V (z) = kel

2p

Rdq

ke l R

R +z
R +z
ke 2p Rl
k eQ
V (z) =
=
2
2
R +z
R2 + z 2
0

dq

34

Group Problem
A thin rod extends along
the x-axis from x = -l /2 to
x = l/2 . The rod carries a
uniformly distributed
positive charge +Q.
Calculate the electric
potential difference
between infinity and at a
point P along the x-axis.

35