How can I calculate the voltage between two stationary electrons?

AI Thread Summary
To calculate the voltage between two stationary electrons, Coulomb's law is essential, and the electric potential can be derived from it. The voltage, defined as the work done on a unit charge, is significantly larger than the potential energy between the electrons, potentially leading to confusion about expected values. The electric field from multiple point charges can be summed, and the voltage follows the same principle, approaching zero at infinity. For practical calculations, reference introductory physics textbooks for established formulas, as integration may not be necessary. Understanding the distinction between voltage and potential energy is crucial for accurate calculations.
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How do I work out the voltage between two stationary electrons a given distance apart apart?
I understand the definition of a volt and I guess that I would need to use Coulomb's law and integrate with respect to distance. It would be great to see the maths though as the answer that I got seemed far too big.
 
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Zman said:
How do I work out the voltage between two stationary electrons a given distance apart apart?
I understand the definition of a volt and I guess that I would need to use Coulomb's law and integrate with respect to distance. It would be great to see the maths though as the answer that I got seemed far too big.
Electric field from multiple point charges is the sum of the field of the individual point charges. The same goes for the voltages, as long as the individual potentials tend to zero at infinity. This comes just from the definition of voltage as the line integral from infinity to a point, and from the linearity of integrals.
 
Zman said:
How do I work out the voltage between two stationary electrons a given distance apart apart?

You could apply the definition of potential difference, or just see where that leads in any introductory college-level physics textbook.
 
Zman said:
the answer that I got seemed far too big.
This could be because of your expectations. Potential Difference ('Voltage') describes the Work done on a Unit Charge (Coulomb) which would be considerably more (a factor of about 1020) than the Potential Energy between two electrons.
No need to get into integration when you are dealing with Electric Potential of a point charge; it's already been done for you in all the textbooks. Never do more complicated Maths than you really need to (or want to).
 
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