Electric Potential in a region of space

In summary: Hi quietriot1006! Firstly, could you please show us your calculations so that we can see where the mistake is? Thanks! Firstly, could you please show us your calculations so that we can see where the mistake is? Thanks!
  • #1
quietriot1006
15
0

Homework Statement


The electric potential in a region of space is
render?texml=V+%3D+%5Cfrac%7B350%7D%7B%5Csqrt+%7Bx%5E2+%2B+y%5E2+%7D%7D.gif

, where x and y are in meters. What is the strength of the electric field at (x,y)=(2.1m,2.7m)?
The electric force is in V/m.

Homework Equations


E = -grad(V)
E = -dV/ds

The Attempt at a Solution



I know that i have to find the partial derivatives of the x and the y but I am not sure on how to get the answer from the equation given. I was thinking of making the square root into the exponential of 1/2 and then raising that to -1 to get ride of the fraction and then taking the derivatives of that but i keep getting the wrong answer. Anybody have suggestions of help they can give me please. Thanks.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #2
Welcome to PF!

quietriot1006 said:
render?texml=V+%3D+%5Cfrac%7B350%7D%7B%5Csqrt+%7Bx%5E2+%2B+y%5E2+%7D%7D.gif

…I know that i have to find the partial derivatives of the x and the y but I am not sure on how to get the answer from the equation given. I was thinking of making the square root into the exponential of 1/2 and then raising that to -1 to get ride of the fraction and then taking the derivatives of that but i keep getting the wrong answer. Anybody have suggestions of help they can give me please. Thanks.

Hi quietriot1006! Welcome to PF! :smile:

(btw, please use the LaTeX provided, rather than importing images of equations)

Just use the Chain Rule for differentiation …

you know how to differentiate 1/√x, don't you? :wink:
 
  • #3
Thanks for the welcome. I am still not getting the answer. Maybe I am doing the chain rule incorrectly. What would i use for u or g(x) and h(x)?
 
  • #4
quietriot1006 said:
Thanks for the welcome. I am still not getting the answer. Maybe I am doing the chain rule incorrectly. What would i use for u or g(x) and h(x)?

(x2 + y2) :smile:
 
  • #5
I keep getting the same asnwer, -127 V/M and its not the right answer. What else can i do?
 
  • #6
quietriot1006 said:
I keep getting the same asnwer, -127 V/M and its not the right answer. What else can i do?

Show us your calculations, and then we can see where the mistake is. :smile:
 

What is electric potential?

Electric potential is a physical quantity that describes the amount of electrical potential energy that a charged particle has at a specific point in space. It is measured in volts (V) and is used to calculate the strength and direction of an electric field.

How is electric potential different from electric field?

Electric potential and electric field are closely related but are not the same thing. While electric field describes the force experienced by a charged particle, electric potential describes the energy of that particle at a specific point in space. Electric potential is also a scalar quantity, whereas electric field is a vector quantity.

How is electric potential calculated in a region of space?

Electric potential is calculated using the equation V = kQ/r, where V is the electric potential, k is the Coulomb's constant, Q is the charge of the particle creating the electric field, and r is the distance from that particle. The electric potential at a given point is the sum of the electric potential created by all the charges in the region of space.

What is the unit for electric potential?

The unit for electric potential is volts (V). One volt is equivalent to one joule per coulomb (J/C). This unit represents the amount of energy that a charged particle has at a specific point in space.

How is electric potential related to electric potential energy?

Electric potential energy is the potential energy that a charged particle has due to its position in an electric field. It is directly proportional to electric potential and can be calculated using the equation PE = qV, where PE is the electric potential energy, q is the charge of the particle, and V is the electric potential at that point. In other words, electric potential energy is the energy that a charged particle has because of its interaction with an electric field.

Similar threads

  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
7
Views
410
Replies
22
Views
1K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
11
Views
1K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
1
Views
1K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
11
Views
800
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
2
Replies
64
Views
2K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
27
Views
2K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
5
Views
689
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
1
Views
882
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
8
Views
1K
Back
Top