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fahad12
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I am totally lost about the idea of electric potential and work. sometimes the book defines work as negative and sometimes postive.
please explain
please explain
Electric potential is a measure of the amount of work required to move a unit of electric charge from one point to another in an electric field. It is also known as the electric potential difference or voltage.
Electric potential is a scalar quantity, meaning it has only magnitude and no direction. On the other hand, electric field is a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude and direction. Electric potential is a measure of the potential energy per unit charge at a point in an electric field, while electric field is a measure of the force per unit charge at a point in an electric field.
The relationship between electric potential and electric field is given by the equation V = -∫E•dr, where V is the electric potential, E is the electric field, and dr is the displacement in the direction of the electric field. This means that the electric potential at a point is equal to the negative of the work done in moving a unit charge from infinity to that point in the electric field.
Electric potential is measured in volts (V) using a device called a voltmeter. A voltmeter measures the potential difference between two points in an electric field by connecting two points with a conductor and measuring the flow of electrons between them.
Electric potential energy is the potential energy of a charged particle in an electric field, while electric potential is the potential energy per unit charge. The relationship between these two is given by the equation U = qV, where U is the electric potential energy, q is the charge of the particle, and V is the electric potential. This means that the electric potential energy of a charged particle is equal to the product of its charge and the electric potential at its location.