Electric field lines between 20/30 V point charges vs. 10/0 V

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around the electric field lines and equipotential lines between point charges with different voltage potentials, specifically comparing setups of 20 volts and 30 volts versus 0 volts and 10 volts.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to understand whether the electric field lines would differ based on the absolute values of voltage or just the differences. They also question the direction of the field lines in relation to the voltages of the charges.

Discussion Status

Some participants affirm the original poster's thought that only the difference in voltage matters, while also noting the importance of the convention regarding voltage at infinity. There is an inquiry about the nature of point charges and their potentials, indicating a deeper exploration of the concepts involved.

Contextual Notes

One participant raises a concern about the definition of potential for point charges, suggesting that additional information, such as the charge's radius, may be necessary to fully understand the scenario.

miaou5
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Homework Statement



What would the electric field lines / equipotential lines look like between point charges that are set up with potentials of 20 volts and 30 volts versus point charges that are set up with potentials of 0 volts and 10 volts?

The Attempt at a Solution



At first I thought the electric field lines would look different, but the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like they would be the same, since only the difference in V counts as opposed to the "absolute" values of V. Is this correct? Thank you all so much!

Added question: I completely forgot about this, but would the lines extend from the 10 V charge toward the 0 V? I know the lines go from the positive charge from the negative charge, so I'm pretty sure they would go from the higher V to the lower V, but I just wanted to make sure. Thank you!
 
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It is true that only difference of voltage is important but remember the convention about voltage at infinitely far away. This is important for this problem.
 
Thank you so much!
 
hehe. no problem!
 
What is a point charge set up with a potential of 20 V ? :confused:

Since the potential due to a point charge is

[tex]\frac {1}{4 \pi \epsilon_0} \frac {Q}{r}[/tex]

the potential near a point charge will become infinite for any non-zero charge.
If the point charge is merely a very small sphere, you still need to know the radius to get the charge from the potential.
 

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