Electric Potential vs Potential Energy

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around the concepts of electric potential and potential energy, exploring their definitions and differences within the context of physics.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants are attempting to differentiate between electric potential and potential energy, with some suggesting that electric potential is solely related to the electric field, while potential energy encompasses multiple forms of potential. Others are discussing the implications of electric potential being defined per unit charge.

Discussion Status

There is an active exploration of the definitions and relationships between electric potential and potential energy, with participants providing insights and raising questions about their respective roles in physics. No consensus has been reached yet.

Contextual Notes

Some participants are referencing external sources for clarification, and there is an indication of varying interpretations regarding the components that contribute to potential energy.

cemar.
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what is the difference between the electric potential andn the potential energy??
 
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_potential"

Chris
 
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hmmm...I guess electric potential is the potential *only* due to electric field around the body, whereas potential energy is the sum of electric potential+Gravitational potential+any other potential you can have(like if there are magnets lying around?)
 
Electric potential has units of potential energy PER UNIT CHARGE. It's useful, because if you have a fixed source charge, and you want to know what the potential energy of the system will be if you add a test charge a certain distance away from it, the answer of course will vary depending on the value of the test charge. The potential expresses it on a per unit charge basis, giving you a sensible way to measure the "strength" of this source.
 

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